Alako under fire in Parliament

KABUL): Parliamentarians on Sunday strongly criticised the country’s leading prosecutor for issuing a letter saying that any MP who had failed to appear in the House for more than 20 days should be “dismissed.”

The lower house has been unable to achieve a quorum for several months.

A lawmaker from western Farah province, Mohammad Sarwar Usmani, said the letter had been read out to him during a television programme on Saturday night.

“The letter says if a parliamentarian does not attend the House for more than 20 days he or she shall be dismissed and replaced,” Usmani said of the letter issued by Mohammed Ishaq Alako, the Attorney General (AG).

He said the AG had no legal right to issue such a letter. He asked the house to summon Alako and demand an explanation. “[The letter] is an insult to the Parliament,” he declared.

Another lawmaker from western Herat province, Qazi Nazir Ahmad Hanfi, echoed Usmani’s remarks, saying the Attorney General’s office lacked the legal authority to interfere in parliament’s affairs.

ma/kg

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