Ministry of Economy: Islamic Emirate does not interfere with aid

KABUL (ToloNews): Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari told TOLOnews that the Islamic Emirate is not interfering in international aid.

Nazari once again denied the SIGAR report and the reaction of the US Secretary of State regarding the Islamic Emirate’s interference in aid organizations’ work.

The Deputy Minister of Economy said: “The recent SIGAR report is unrealistic and unprofessional. The reaction of the US Secretary of State and the Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee is not in line with the realities of Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate only oversees the aid for transparency and does not interfere in the process.”

This comes two days after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted to the recent report of the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), stating that he would review the report.

SIGAR reported that out of the 65 organizations, 38 responded to the questionnaire, revealing that since August 2021, $10.9 million in US aid has been paid to various departments of the Islamic Emirate for customs expenses, taxes, electricity bills, and other costs.

The US Secretary of State said that the US works on it and will see what steps can be taken to address it.

“Even if aid organizations do not pay taxes, they still need energy supplies; they need electricity and water for their offices, and these issues are very difficult and complicated to avoid,” said Mir Shekib Mir, an economic analyst, told TOLOnews.

The SIGAR report, released four days ago, said that from August 2021 to May 2023, 38 implementing partners reported paying an estimated $10.9 million to the current Afghan government for continued operations in Afghanistan. Of this amount, $10.4 million was paid in taxes; $346,839 in payments for utilities; $176,596 in fees; and $9,215 in customs duties.