Diary of a Correspondent – Part 2

THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
After our flying day-trip to Mazar- e-Sharif, we are back in dusty Kabul for our remaining two days which promise to be as hectic as the previous three.

DAY4:

0900hrs:
It's a visit to the British Embassy once again for a briefing on the nation-wide Drugs Interdiction/Eradication Programme. Please visit www.unodc.org and click on the Afghanistan link to see how the project is faring.

1045hrs:
Our next stop is the Nejat Centre in the city which oversees a drugs-rehabilitation programme where we are welcomed by Dr. Tariq Suleman, accompanied by drums played by patients at the centre. This was a programme that originated in Peshawar in 1991 and although the amount of addicts in Kabul were estimated at around 60,000, the number of patients being treated at the Nejat centre was around 20per month including a facility to house 10 patients to undergo detoxification and then rehabilitation.

1200hrs:
We were then taken a short distance to the female version of the Nejat Centre to witness how they were being treated. It was explained that a city-wide campaign with the help of female social workers led to 10-15 female addicts visiting on a daily basis. There were estimated to be 24,000 women affected by opium and hashish addiction in Kabul.

1300hrs:
Back to base for lunch before venturing out again to visit the Halo Trust's de-mining project in Afghanistan.

1400hrs:
We are welcomed by Dr. Farid Ahmed Hamayun who explains that the Halo Trust's involvement in Afghanistan began in 1988 in the wake of the Russian exit from Afghanistan. Their activity developed with a constant mine-awareness programme and despite all the subsequent turmoil, Kabul was finally designated a mine-free area in the year 2000. With nearly 2000 staff. the Halo Trust was easily Afghanistan's largest de-mining project. With an estimation of between 460 to 600 thousand mines the enormity of the task was beyond emphasis.

1545hrs:
There was enough time left in the day for us to take part in a mobile patrol in district 16 where we accompanied British troops on their regular patrol. This was our first opportunity to mingle with local people on the outskirts of Kabul and all other correspondents found this to be a most fruitful experience. Many of the locals expressed how beneficial albeit weird, foreign troop presence was. Our eagerness to mingle with the locals was equally matched by local hospitality as crowds built up on learning of our arrival.

1630hrs:
Head back to base to contemplate on our experiences of the day.

DAY5:

0800hrs:
Alas, today is our final day and although we fly at around 1500hrs, this is the point where we have to clear our living quarters and hand in our luggage for check-in.

0900hrs:
As there is nothing scheduled for us to do for the rest of the day, our team of journalists ponder over what to do to bide our time.

1000hrs:
It's eventually decided that we take the plunge and venture out into the city at our own risk. As we exit the camp, we hail a taxi and agree to take a drive to the Intercontinental Hotel in the City which is deemed to be the foremost venue for visiting journalists. Our taxi driver, Mr. Sher Khan gives us an insight into how life has changed over the years, describing that although normalcy prevailed in Kabul, the cost of living was rapidly increasing, citing an example of the price of fuel rocketing from 13 Afghanis prior to the election to 24 Afghanis (approx. 19pence > 34 pence per litre). At the 199 -room hotel we found that around half the rooms were occupied at roughly $80 a night which contrasted with the Taliban's time where occupancy was around 2-3 rooms although rates were in the region of $30 a night.

From here, anxious to get back to camp headquarters (With our flight back to the UK at stake!) our team rushes through some dry-fruit shopping only to realise that the prices quoted were more expensive than the UK. As our taxi-driver hastened to get us back in time his car almost inevitably exerienced a tyre puncture.

Changing our taxi enabled us to witness first-hand the kamikaze element of Kabul driving as our new driver hobbed and weaved through the traffic. With one car in front skidding from one side of the road to the other to avoid a sudden halt, along with our driver not being sure of where we needed to go, not to mention some some other close calls, we felt a sense of achievement in finally arriving back at camp in one piece. The fact that it was in good time was a mere bonus.

1300hrs:
As today was the first of Ramadhan and lunch not being an issue, I decided to be bold enough to venture out once again to seek the nearest mosque for Jumaah prayers.

1415hrs:
Finally, we assemble for our departure from camp as the armoured tanks prepare to escort us to the airport.

-It has been an engrossing and eye-opening trip and my thanks goes out to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Islamic Media Unit and the Armed Forces Media Operations Team for their initiative in constructing this programme. I am sure other Muslim Media would be as keen as myself in embarking on similar ventures in the future.