INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Officials from Mazar-e-Sharif Municipality said on Thursday that preparations are underway for the upcoming Nowruz festival, which marks the
start of the new Persian Solar Year.The main Nowruz festival in Afghanistan is traditionally held around March 21 in Mazar in northern Balkh
province.We are completely prepared,& said Mawlavi Mohammad Nasim Abid, deputy head of Mazar Municipality.He said the city is currently
being cleaned up and that the municipality &ensures our people that we made preparations and there are no problems regarding
security.Afghans have meanwhile called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to allow Nowruz celebrations to go ahead.We &urge the
government of Islamic Emirate to mark the Nowruz festival as it was marked in the past years,& said Mohammad Asif, a resident of Mazar.IEA
officials meanwhile said that there are two Eids for Muslims, and that Nowruz celebrations are not necessary.Our leaders have not talked
about the Nowruz celebration so far
Preparation for this big festival is too soon,& said Balil Karimi, deputy spokesman of IEA.Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) in
coordination with Mazar Municipality has meanwhile stepped in again this year to help prepare the city for Nowruz.The company has helped
clean up the Hazrat Ali Shrine in Mazar.We work for the city&s greenery every year, and clean corners of Rawza-e-Mubarak
Our preparations are completed,& said Yafiz Saqat, a representative of AWCC in Balkh.The post Mazar Municipality prepares for Nowruz
festival first appeared on Ariana News.
