Wolesi Jirga amends resolution on martyrs day

KABUL (lower house) on Saturday amended its resolution and decided to mark September 9 as the Day of National Hero Ahmad Shah Massoud and other Martyrs.

On Wednesday, the assembly rejected a Cabinet decision on declaring the day as Shaheed Ahmad Shah Massoud’s death anniversary and decided that September 18 would be marked as Martyrs Day.

Massoud, who fought against Soviet troops, was assassinated on September 9, 2001, two days before the 9/11 attacks on the US. Later, parliament conferred on him the title of Afghanistan’s National Hero.

Addressing the session, MP from Kabul Muhammad Younus Qanuni said Massoud must be remembered on the day for the cause of national unity.

He added some lawmakers had mistakenly voted for the resolution on Wednesday. They believed Massoud’s name was among the martyrs.

Aryan Yun, an MP from Nangarhar, criticised Qanuni but Abdul Baqi Malakzada did not allow him. As a result, the session turned noisy. But the MPs went silent after requests from Qanuni and Zahir Qadir, the 1st deputy speaker, who said: “Massoud is not only a hero of Panjsher; in fact he is a national hero.”

Subsequently, all but one of the legislators present voted in favour of the amendment that was opposed by Yun.  He called the procedure against the rules and claimed: “People were invited to dinner and money distributed to them on Thursday night to vote for the resolution.

mas/mud

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