The circulation of the local currency has been jacked up to counter the use of the Pakistani rupee in southeastern Khost province.
On Saturday, dozens of youth staged a peaceful rally, urging the people to do transaction in the Afghan currency instead of Pakistani rupee.
Talib Mangal, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News representatives of government departments met on Saturday and decided to buy and sell goods using the Afghanis.
Anyone violating the decision would be referred to judicial organs, he warned. “A plan is being devised to increase the circulation of the Afghan currency.”
The move would help counter the use of the Pakistani rupees in the local market, he hoped, saying a commission had been created to implement the plan, the spokesman added.
Ayub, a protestor, told Pajhwok the rally was aimed at boosting public awareness and encouraging the people to transact in the Afghani instead of foreign currencies.
Hamidullah Rokhan, another protester, promised they would no longer allow trade in the Pakistani rupees. He urged government officials to initiate concrete steps in this regard.
Civil society activist Mohammad Jalal Haqiqat Zadran noted the provincial administration had created a commission to promote the circulation of the Afghani.
However, he claimed, the plan had failed so far to achieve the objective. He hoped the move would yield a positive result in near future.
