Afghan Vice President meets with Panjshir PRT

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s First Vice President, Mohammad “Marshal” Qasim Fahim hosted the leaders of Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir and provincial government officials at his house for a meeting and lunch in Panjshir province, Afghanistan, May 20.

James DeHart, U.S. Department of State and PRT Panjshir director; U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, PRT Panjshir commander; Keramuddin Keram, Panjshir governor; Abdul Rahman Kabiri, Panjshir deputy governor; and Mohammad Solem, Panjshir National Directorate of Security chief, were among the guests at Fahim’s Khenj District home in the Panjshir province of Afghanistan.

Fahim opened the meeting by welcoming his guests and telling the PRT members that their work does not go unnoticed by anyone in the province or central government.

“We appreciate what you’re doing in Panjshir,” Fahim said through an interpreter. “Everyone knows about the projects you are doing. The provincial and central government is working for the future and will be cooperating with you.”

After pleasantries from Velasquez and DeHart, Velasquez discussed some of the PRT’s projects, including a main road running through the province, a civic clean-up program and reforestation efforts.

Fahim then discussed his goal of building a relationship between Panjshir and the central government.

“If you look at Panjshir, it connects to Kapisa, Parwan and Badakhshan,” Fahim said. “We are all from the same tribe. The only thing that kept us separate was mountains. It was (Ahmad Shah) Massoud’s great leadership that bonded us during the military resistance.

“The people here have fought and suffered a lot, now I want my people to enter into an economic situation,” Fahim continued. “My duty - my responsibility – is to help educate people and have services for them to take war from their minds. The war is finished, and we need to have international goals. Afghanistan is one nation, and Panjshir needs to be part of it.”

DeHart told the group it was important for the PRT to be partners with the provincial and central government. He said the relationship between the PRT and Panjshiris was deeper than just projects.

“Massoud had an important vision for what the whole country could look like,” DeHart said. “Even though the PRT does important work, the foundation of our relationship is not projects, but rather a shared vision for a prosperous Afghanistan.”

Following the meeting, the group was treated to a traditional Afghan lunch and tour of Fahim’s home and garden. Fahim invited the PRT to visit him again at his home in the future.