Residents in the western province of Herat on Thursday accused President Ashraf Ghani of failing to deliver on promises he made to the people in the province.

Residents said that Ghani’s trips to Herat have been symbolic and nothing was done in terms of development or increasing socio-economic prosperity.

“Dr. Ashraf Ghani has made several trips to Herat, but he has not addressed the promises he made to the people of Herat. The people of Herat have been disappointed with the President,” said Gul Ahmad, a resident in Herat.

“The president should talk with different layers of the society and hear about their problems, there is no need for symbolic trips or for shuffling personnel within institutions,” said Abdul Rahman, a resident in Herat.

“With the arrival of the president, all roads were closed in Herat, shops were closed and businesses were shut,” said Elyas, a resident in Herat.

“I faced a lot of problems while walking in Herat city, our statesmen only create problems for the people, they never serve the public,” said Jamaluddin, a resident in Herat.

Meanwhile, the media community in Herat also blasted Ghani for not letting the journalists cover his activities.

In protest, the journalists in Herat boycotted Ghani’s deputy spokesman.

“At a time when journalists and members of the civil society institutions face imminent threats, the president has arrived on a two-day trip to Herat. He should meet people from different walks of life---but there is no plan in his agenda of the trip to meet the journalists. Because of this insult by the president, the journalist community in Herat today boycotted a press briefing by Ghani’s deputy spokesman,” said Bashir Hanif, a journalist in Herat.

“The president’s trips to Herat have been mostly political and symbolic,” said Jawad Amid, a civil society activist in Herat.

“The costs of the president’s trips to Herat have always been very high. Large numbers of the security forces become active and a large part of the city comes to a standstill. The president’s trips shouldn’t have symbolic motives, the problems of the people of Herat must be heard, because there are security, economic and infrastructural issues in Herat,” said Sayed Ashraf Sadat, a civil society activist.

Today’s trip marks the first trip by Ghani to Herat since he began his second term as president.

Ghani's visit to Herat came as targeted assassinations, organized crime in the city of Herat, and Taliban attacks in many districts of the province have been reaching record highs in recent weeks.