Sherzai: Zakhilwal is a lair (Video)

JALALABAD (PAN): Nangarhar governor on Saturday strongly criticised Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal for not honouring his repeated promises to start construction works on two key highway projects in the eastern province. Addressing participants at a workshop on economic development in Jalalabad, the provincial capital, Gul Agha Sherzai said Zakhilwal was a liar, who had promised him twice to launch works on the Kabul-Jalalabad and Jalalabad-Torkham highways, but was yet to keep his words. Sherzai further said Zakhilwal had also promised him to release $15 million to the provincial government for a sub-power station at the Hisar Shahi Industrial Park. “We don’t want the finance minister. He is a liar,” Sherzai said. The governor said he had information that India was willing to fund the extension of electricity to the industrial park. He would send the provincial power department head to Kabul to meet the Indian embassy officials to discuss the matter. Sherzai said reconstruction projects, initiated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), in Nangarhar had been put on hold. PAJHWOK/Babrak Amirzada