Writer and literary figure from Zabul province, Asmat Qaneh, has reacted to comments made by Kabul University professor Mahmoud Marhoon, who had stated that residents of eastern provinces turn to education because they lack agricultural land.
Qaneh rejected Marhoon’s view, saying that eastern regions still supply a significant portion of the country’s vegetables and legumes due to their agricultural production. He wrote on social media: “A person may be great, and may even be called a professor, but he can say such incorrect things that leave one astonished. O Marhoon! The east of the country still provides a large amount of vegetables and legumes to Afghanistan from its own farmlands due to its agricultural production.”
Referring to agricultural problems and drought in the southwestern region of Afghanistan, he said that despite vast lands, water shortages and drought have severely affected the agricultural sector. He wrote: “The karezes of Kandahar have dried up, the springs of Uruzgan have closed, and the lands of Zabul have become barren; we have fallen upon the plain of Karbala.”
Asmat Qaneh also criticized the situation of education and youth, saying that if the lack of fertile land were the main reason for pursuing education, then young people from the southern and southwestern regions should have the highest presence in universities. According to him, many youths from these regions are currently deprived of education.
In conclusion, Qaneh described one of the causes of the current situation in society as “false pride and intelligence-based illusion,” claiming that people’s mindsets have been influenced.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
