The second deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate vowed that the government will pay the salaries of its employees in a bid to help resolve the problems of the people.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said that the government is planning to restart development programs as winter approaches. 

Government officials said that some development projects have resumed, including those for electric power lines.

The officials added that customs operations would be active around the clock, seven days a week.   

Talking to a gathering at the Ministry of Finance, Hanafi called on the US and other involved countries to release Afghanistan's funds, saying that the freezing of reserve assets is causing harm to the people.

He called the US decision to freeze Afghan assets a violation of international law.  

This comes as business owners have raised concerns and asked the government to find a solution to the challenges that exist for their businesses.  

“Currently, there are a lot of problems that exist in transferring money to purchase materials,” said Mohsin Amiri, a businessperson. “This (process) should become simple so the operations of companies do not stop.”  

Hanafi said that the current government is making efforts to launch major projects with regional countries, including Uzbekistan, and to resolve problems in transferring funds.

According to Hanafi, the projects include work on power lines and the construction of railways connecting to neighboring countries.

“Afghanistan earns millions of dollars from transit, and the implementation of these projects will be beneficial for Afghanistan,” he added.