Mullah Omar's Eid Message Read in Nangarhar Mosques: MP

Mullah Omar's message for Eid al-Fitr was read out in most of the mosques across several districts of eastern Nangarhar province, according to first deputy house speaker of Afghan parliament Zaher Qadir.

Qadir said that the reading out of the Taliban leader's Eid message in mosques was a cause for concern and should have been prevented by provincial officials as a security risk.

"Instead of saying the Eid message from the central government, Mullah Omar's message was read at mosques in several Nangarhar districts. What does this mean for security?" Qadir told TOLOnews, urging Afghan President Hamid Karzai to appoint more qualified provincial officials.

Nangarhar provincial spokesman Abdul Rahim Abdulzai rejected the claims saying he did not have any reports in this regard.

"There are claims that some mullah's have read the Eid message issued by the militants, but we don't have any reports in this regard. I directly talked with the provincial Haji director on this matter and he also denied the report," Abdulzai told TOLOnews Wednesday.

Nangarhar is one of Afghanistan's main eastern provinces which borders Pakistan and contains the most important transit route to Pakistan passing through to Torkham port. The province has seen rising insecurity and insurgent activity in recent months.