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Deputy speaker warns against interference in parliamentary affairs
By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) of the parliament on Sunday said that the interpellation and voting against ministers is the legal right of members of the Wolesi Jirga and no organ has the right to act against lawmakers’ decision or interfere.
“Interpellation and impeachment is the legal right of Wolesi Jirga and no organ has the right to interfere in the aspect,” said Zahir Qadeer, the first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga.
He said that disqualification of a number of ministers over the failure in spending budget is not an act against the government. It is a legal right practiced by lawmakers.
Pointing to some rumors that Supreme Court would interfere in decision of Wolesi Jirga regarding the ministers, he said that the Supreme Court was a credible organ and the decision taken under the frame of law has no connection to executive power as well as to supreme court, because this issue can undermine supreme court credibility.
According to some unconfirmed reports, after sacking a number of ministers due to their failure in spending development budget, the government referred the issue to the Supreme Court, which provoked anger of Wolesi Jirga.
The Wolesi Jirga members with a majority vote, around two weeks ago, summoned 19 ministers and a number of departmental heads to brief regarding their failure in spending budgetary allocations during the outgoing Afghan fiscal year.
It is pertained to mention that the lawmakers sacked ministers of foreign affairs, labor and social affairs, public works, education, transport and civil aviation, telecommunications and information technology and higher education in the past three days.
Ministers of justice, public health, energy and water, urban development, counter narcotics, refugee and economy who had spent below 70 per cent of the development budget received vote of vote of confidence and remained in their posts.
