Districts without government

A Killid investigation reveals that government offices in 24 districts have been shifted out because of lack of security. The authorities, however, admit to a problem in only half the number of districts.
For residents in the affected districts, any work they have with officials has meant both expense and risky road journeys to the new offices. Take the case of Samiaullah from Zana Khan district in Ghazni. He has travelled to Ghazni city to get his electronic identity card, tazkera. When Killid met him he had already spent three nights in what he said were damp, dirty places in the city, trying to get the correct information. At first he could not even locate the new offices, he says. When he did he was told that his file was not in the new office. Dejected and frustrated by the lack of transparency, he told Killid to tell the government to take the offices back to the district.
There is real fear that in frustration, many people may simply turn to insurgent groups present in their districts for redressal particularly in cases of dispute over property or domestic issues.
Local officials admit to the relocation of offices because of lack of security, but they are optimistic the situation will return to normal, and the offices will move back.
Killid spoke to governors, deputy governors, police chiefs, members of provincial councils, and government spokespersons from the 24 affected districts. There is no agreement on how many districts are affected with some officials admitting to only 12 across the country.
On Killid’s list of districts without government offices is two districts in Badakhshan, 3 each in Kunduz, Ghazni and Paktika, one each in Sar-e-Pol, Khost and Zabul, 4 each in Helmand and Farah, and two districts in Baghlan.
Officials in the Ministry of Defence say they are doing their best to win back the districts from insurgent groups.

Helmand
Local authorities in Helmand confirm offices in some districts have shifted to the provincial capital. Omar Zwak, spokesperson for the provincial governor, said district offices in Khannasheen, Nawa, Nawzad and Musaqala were relocated last year because people were finding it difficult to access services and meet officials in their districts.

Farah
Four districts in this relatively insecure province have had to move offices to adjoining districts. Fareed Bakhtawar, a member of the provincial council, has identified the districts as Balabollok, Gulistan, Khak Safed and Bakwa. But the relocation of offices has been a setback for government programmes in health and education particularly. While many people told Killid they were seriously worried, Naser Mehri, the spokesperson for the Farah governor, said in an interview that the offices were moved for better delivery of services to the public.

Kunduz
In November 2015 three new districts were added to the province’s seven to better serve the local populace. But district offices have not been set up in the new districts of Kalbad, Gultepa and Aqtash. Sayed Mahmood Danesh, spokesperson for the governor said while the office for the former district is in Emam Saheb, the latter two have offices in the Kunduz capital. He claims efforts are being made to ensure the offices are shifted to new locations in the respective districts.

Badakhshan
Ghulam Sakhi Andarabi, provincial police chief, says the districts of Wardooj and Yamagan are entirely under the control of the armed opponents of the government. District offices in the former have moved to Jurm district, and the latter to Baharak district. According to Andarabi, the justice and judicial offices have not been functioning for the last three years. Even the police, he says, is working out of rented buildings in other districts, paying roughly 7,000 Afs (roughly 100 USD) in rent. Badakhshan is in the grip of insecurity. Security forces have only been able to prevent the further advance of armed insurgents. Andarabi has appealed for support from the Afghan National Army to recapture the districts. The government is at risk of losing people in the two districts to its opponents if it does not retake control, he warns. The delivery of educational and development programmes has stopped entirely.

Ghazni
Ghazni’s Nawa district is lost to the government. Three other districts – Zana Khan, Rasheedan and Khogiani – moved government offices because of security concerns three years ago, according to Aziz Azimi, spokesperson for the governor.

Paktika
Security has been a problem in three districts of the province. In Omna, Neka and Gian districts offices have shut down and moved to neighbouring areas, says Nematullah Baburi, a member of the provincial council. He says residents have to travel hours to follow up even the smallest administrative problem. But Mohammad Rahman Ayaz, spokesperson for the governor, was not sympathetic. He told Killid it is for people to go to the new offices and meet with local officials on matters that concern them.

Baghlan
Muneera Yusufzada, a government spokesperson, says two districts in the province have had to relocate government offices because of security threats. According to her, security is a concern in only half of both districts.

Meanwhile, in provinces like Nangarhar, where security has been a concern recently because of attacks by so-called Daesh fighters, officials say none of the district offices have had to be moved. So also Takhar, Uruzgan, Herat, Paktia, Kunar, Daikundi, Nuristan, Nimroz, Kandahar, Bamyan and Ghor.