Kabul Focus

[Bengal_Tiger]

But this is just Kabul. The rest of the cities in the country don't like anything like this since they are more poor and less important. I can see the development of Kabul being a priority since its the capital of Afghanistan but once more minerals are sold, the profit should be used to develop other major cities, especially Kandahar.

Kabul by itself is larger than the population of Lebanon or neighbouring Turkmenistan.

In any country the biggest city or capital gets a disproportionate amount of attention, funding, investment and so forth.

Afghanistan won't become rich overnight but if Kabul can thrive that's good for the rest of the country.

The Ghani administration is the national government and is focused on the development of the entire country hence his recent clamp down on corruption in Herat.

The main issue in Afghanistan obviously is security.

I don't think the Taliban can be totally eliminated but if they can be neutralized or contained to the point where they are quarantined in some insignificant rural areas so that the main urban centres, transport links and industrial areas e.g. mineral plants can be protected and thrive then Afghanistan is more or less a relatively normal country like Colombia, Georgia, India all of whom have areas occupied by foreign/rebel forces.

[marwat]

Yes, but there's corruption every where including Bangladesh, Saudi and even America and Britain.

It does show that contrary to popular imagination that Afghanistan is not just about Taliban, "Kite Runner" and other negative stereotypes. That's one of the main purposes of this thread.

whenever i see cars like this, i smell corruption, it's the corruption which made people feel so insecure in Afghanistan, billion dollars are pumped into Afghanistan to make better the lives of poor afghan, most of them end up in pockets of ruling class, widening the gap between lower class and elite. most of the money is already relocated outside Afghanistan.

[Bengal_Tiger]

whenever i see cars like this, i smell corruption, it's the corruption which made people feel so insecure in Afghanistan, billion dollars are pumped into Afghanistan to make better the lives of poor afghan, most of them end up in pockets of ruling class, widening the gap between lower class and elite. most of the money is already relocated outside Afghanistan.

Ok, but some progress is better than nothing?

Rome wasn't built in a day...or the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Afghanistan's first fish and chips shop opens in Kabul

An Afghan-Canadian entrepreneur has opened up a traditional British-style chippy in Kabul





Fish and chip shop has opened in Kabul, Afghanistan

Fishy business: a fish and chip shop has opened in Kabul,


With such a traditional name, you’d expect to find Mr Cod tucked away somewhere in a British town.

This fish and chips shop, however, is the first to ever open in Afghanistan.
Mr Cod has been opened by Afghan-Canadian entrepreneur Bashir Halimi in Kabul, and is already proving popular with locals, as well as with British expats craving a taste of home.




A British visitor wrote on the shop's Facebook page that the fish was "delicious" and "the batter was just like what we have at home, light and crispy".

Mr Halimi told the BBC he was attempting to attract an upmarket audience, with a view to eventually creating a country-wide chain.

“I believe our consumers are sophisticated enough to be open to new food ideas,” he said. “I believe there is Chinese food here, Pakistani, Indian: we have traditional food going parallel with non-traditional and Western food.”



The shop is aimed at middle-class Afghanis (EPA)

The average medium meal at the fish and chips shop costs around 240 Afghanis, or £2.73.
Foreign food has become increasingly popular in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the US invasion in 2001, with everything from burgers to pizzas being sold on the streets.

One Afghan, Abdullah Karim, has even set up a hot dog truck. As pork is not halal, however, his sausages are made from beef. He told Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the US Armed Forces, that the hot dogs were extremely popular, though it had taken some time for locals to get used to the name, as dogs are considered unclean in Muslim culture.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11429322/Afghanistans-first-fish-and-chip-shops-opens-in-Kabul.html

[Bengal_Tiger]

18,000 + likes on facebook.

[Kushan Prince]

^Don't know how i feel about all this change happening so quickly. It seems like western companies are trying to exert their influence in Afghanistan after the war to hold some kind of "miniature power" there. I just hope the country doesn't become to westernized!

[Bengal_Tiger]

^Don't know how i feel about all this change happening so quickly. It seems like western companies are trying to exert their influence in Afghanistan after the war to hold some kind of "miniature power" there. I just hope the country doesn't become to westernized!

Mmmm...is there some sort of way of balancing the good traditional Afghan/Kabuliwala ways and culture as well as having a more modern economy, development etc?

I mean you're right, there's no point in having Kabul or other parts of Afghanistan as a carbon-copy of the west, they need to have their own culture and unique identity.

[Kushan Prince]

Mmmm...is there some sort of way of balancing the good traditional Afghan/Kabuliwala ways and culture as well as having a more modern economy, development etc?

I mean you're right, there's no point in having Kabul or other parts of Afghanistan as a carbon-copy of the west, they need to have their own culture and unique identity.

Agreed or else Afghanistan will become like the Gulf Arab states who slowly lose their culture due to influence from expats. Although i know this won't happen to Afghans, especially Pashtuns since we are really strong in maintaing our culture.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Afghans celebrate in Kabul as Afghanistan get their first ever cricket world cup victory by defeating Scotland.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Kabul boys Parkour team.



Paghman Palace, Kabul.



A wet Kabul!

[Bengal_Tiger]

"کابل را در حالت تغیر دادن است"

34,000+ likes on facebook.

410 shares.

At time of writing.

https://www.facebook.com/Ariyana.Afghanistan/photos/a.525765674198869.1073741828.525750997533670/721360041306097/?type=1&theater

[Bengal_Tiger]

[Bengal_Tiger]

New Kabul will be more impressive than the buildings above, insha'Allah.

[Bengal_Tiger]

[Bengal_Tiger]