The Union of Trade Companies and some Afghan investors held a program to share their challenges in areas such as banking, financial guarantees, and the release of the country’s currency reserves.

Officials from the union and private companies announced that over the past four years, their financial guarantees have been frozen in private banks, causing significant disruptions to their business activities.

Mohammad Baz, the head of the Union of Trade Companies and Afghan Investors, told TOLOnews: “The committee responsible for this money is progressing very slowly. We have made numerous efforts to speed up the work of this committee, but so far, it has not completed even 50 percent of its tasks.”

Mullah Sangeen, a member of the Union of Trade Companies and Afghan Investors, stated: “The Ministry of Finance identified 26 departments in the year 1402 whose money is with us, and it’s clean and transparent. However, 1402 solar year has passed, and 1403 is also passing, but nothing has been done yet.”

In a resolution, the union has called for serious attention from the Islamic Emirate authorities on this matter.

Shahabuddin Ziar, a businessman, said: “Our financial guarantees have remained in the banks since the time of the Republic. According to the law, these funds should be canceled and transferred to the companies’ accounts so that we can use them. Unfortunately, the Central Bank of Afghanistan has issued letters stating that this money should be paid to the companies, but so far, we have not received it.”

Another businessman, Mahmoud Arabzada, said: “Our request to the Islamic Emirate leaders is that if our work is expedited, our problems will be solved. Investors and businesspeople won’t take their money out of Afghanistan; they will invest here. Each company had over 100 employees, but now they have reduced to just five or ten.”

Participants also appealed to the international community and organizations that halted their projects after the return of the Islamic Emirate, asking them to release Afghanistan’s assets and resume their incomplete projects to help boost economic growth and create job opportunities.