- Title: AFGHANISTAN-MAZAR In Mazar, Afghans enjoy life as fighting draws near
- Date: 1st June 2015
- Summary: MAZAR-I-SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - APRIL 9, 2015) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)(REUTERS) AFGHAN SECURITY PERSONNEL FIRING TOWARD THE COURT BUILDING WHERE MILITANTS HAVE TAKEN OVER SMOKE RISING FROM SITE OF ATTACK SMOKE RISING/AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES EVACUATING TWO PEOPLE FROM SITE OF ATTACK AMBULANCE TAKING WOUNDED TO HOSPITAL
- Embargoed: 16th June 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Afghanistan
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADPEOGZZQ51KYSH3U9H3MXLYAV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: It is late afternoon and slivers of sunlight stream in through an exhaust fan, cutting through multicoloured strobe lights and shisha smoke in a basement karaoke club, one of more than a dozen in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
About a dozen young men lounge around on sofas, belting out ballads in Dari and clapping along to the music.
"I usually come to this club in the evening after work with friends to drink tea, coffee, smoke shisha and have fun," said Najibullah, 27, a businessman.
It's good business for the club owner.
"We receive around 400 to 500 customers in our club and the rush time is between 7 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. This is all depends on good security in Mazar-i-Sharif and our people don't have any security concerns," said Rohullah Ansari.
Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, is the one of the last oases of calm in the war-torn country.
At 9.30 p.m., squeals of laughter rise above an amusement park as the swing ride starts spinning and children navigate bumper cars.
Families lay blankets and relax on the grass, feeling secure within the high walls of the park watched over by guards with AK-47s.
Women who work at a local radio station which aims its programming at a female audience, also feel free talking about having the same rights as men.
"This radio station helps the women to understand their rights and realize that they have the right to work like men, to earn a living and have the right to decide about their lives. Since I started working with this radio station I have noted that the radio programmes are very effective for women," said Mania Ahmadi, from Rabea Balkhi Radio For Women which broadcasts across a few districts in northern Afghanistan.
However, that is increasingly coming under threat. As a resurgent Taliban make their most intense push in recent years in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, some here are worrying about war spilling into their city.
"Everything depends on security. If security is ensured in the north we can do good work if there is security we can have a better life, we can go to university to study and we can go to the markets for shopping. Without security, obviously there is no life and I, as a resident of Balkh, I won't have the courage to come out of my home and go to work," a member of the provincial council and a women's rights activist, Farangis Sowgand said.
On April 9, weeks before the start of the annual fighting season, militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons stormed a court in the city, killing eight people, including the district police chief.
The province's economy has slowed with the rest of Afghanistan, where the growth rate is estimated to have fallen to 2 percent in 2014 from 3.7 percent in 2013, and an average of 9 percent during 2003-12, according to the World Bank.
For now, though, Mazar-i-Sharif residents don't let worries about an uncertain future stop them from enjoying life. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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