President Karzai: don't criticize, just pay up

While his ministers continue their crackdown on Afghanistan’s news media, President Hamid Karzai Sunday told a donors’ forum in Kabul that Western democracies should bring more resources to the country, and place a greater share of their aid money in his regime’s control.

Since he became interim leader in 2001, after the collapse of the previous Taliban government, donor nations have pledged a total of $30 billion in aid. Just under half that amount has been spent so far.

Several comprehensive opinion polls over the past year have revealed mounting public frustration and anger over the Karzai administration’s under-achievements in reconstruction. Electricity shortages are still the norm, even in the capital, and roads and other infrastructure in Kabul show no sign of improvement.

Karzai promised the forum he would fight corruption. Meantime his Attorney General, Abdul Jabar Sabet, has yet to answer for the violent police raid he ordered two weeks ago against Tolo TV, the country’s leading source of independent news. Seven reporters were detained and beaten. 

Karzai has not commented on the raid. His information minister, Karim Khoram, is formulating ways to use a new censorship law to further reduce coverage critical of the regime.