Residents of first street of Taimani, PD 10, in Kabul city have complained about a restaurant being active in the area despite the issued restrictions from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Public Health.

According to the residents, police have so far not been able to shut down the restaurant.

This comes after the Afghan government issued restrictions on restaurants and hotels in some cities including Kabul city in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“A police commander came here and warned the owner of the restaurant to close,” stated Mirza Mohammad, a representative of the area.

“The government banned all hotels and restaurants, but this one has not been blocked yet,” said Ahmad Qasim, a resident of the area.

Fariba Sadat, a TOLOnews reporter, stated that she was insulted by the owner of the restaurant, and her camera was broken too.

“The owner of the restaurant is a woman. She grabbed our camera by her guards, and prevented us from taking pictures,” said Sadat.

“She asked her guards to grab the camera. When I argued with them, the guards attacked me and forcefully took the camera...insulting us.” says Zubair Hashimyar, the cameraman accompanying the news reporter from TOLOnews.

The residents living near the restaurant stated that the female owner, Shakila Ibrahim, claims that she works with First Lady Rula Ghani, however these allegations were rejected by the First Lady’s Office. According to a statement from the office, the owner will be prosecuted based on the law.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs further stated that they will pursue the case, despite the unsuccessful efforts of the police to stop the restaurant.