GHAZNI (SW): After the death of two residents of the Shir Abad village and kidnapping of two others, Ghazni is almost paralyzed; the markets and shops are closed, the residents are worried about the situation.
Shir Abad villagers claimed that some people in the police uniform had attacked their village, killing two and arrested two others without any known crime. The issue presumably has arisen due to disagreements over the water dispute between the villages of Shir Abad and Nekhta in Qarabagh district.
Ghazni residents in Kabul said that if the government does not prevent these conflicts from spreading, this will turn into a crisis and the responsibility lies with the government.
Iqbal Shaharwand, a civil society activist told Salam Watandar that there are a handful of people behind this tension who want to turn a legal case into an ethnic conflict.
Another civil society activist, Rahmat Sarabi, accused the local government of Ghazni of negligent in handling the affairs of the province properly and said that if the negligence sustained, a civil war will follow in Ghazni.
Rohullah Yama, a resident of Ghazni told Salam Watandar that the city is shut down for the past five days, all the shops, offices, and educational centers are closed.
The city looks like under a martial law with the increased presence of military troops, unlike the normal days. The government must work to restore calm, said Rohullah Yama.
The Ghazni civil society activists demanded the end of tensions and further investigation of the water dispute by the publication of a seven-point resolution today (Wednesday).
Mohammad Arif Noori, spokesperson for the governor of Ghazni said that a number of people have been trying to defame the security forces and fueling the ethnic tensions in this province. However, the local government has started the talks with the residents to find a satisfactory solution to the issues, Arif Noori added.
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