KABUL — lower house — on Monday decided to not summon four of the 11 Cabinet ministers who failed to spend less than half of annual development budgets sanctioned to their ministries last year.
Earlier in the month, the house voted to summon the Cabinet members on the issue, but later lawmakers split over their own decision.
Ministries of defence, interior, commerce, economy, counter-narcotics, water and energy, education, urban development, mines, higher education and information have failed to use most their funds meant for uplift activities.
On Monday, some MPs suggested the ministers should be called in line with the house’s previous decision, but other opposed.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said it would be illogical to summon those ministers who were not on the posts in 2011.
He also said ministers whose ministries had been able to spend 50 percent of their development funds should not be summoned.
Lawmaker Mohammad Mohaqqiq defended the house decision on summoning ministers. Another MP Asadullah Sadati stressed all the eleven ministers should appear before the house and brief it on the subject.
Under the rules of procedures, two-thirds majority is required to reverse a previous decision of the house, Fatima Aziz, a parliamentarian from Kunduz, said.
When Ibrahimi asked lawmakers to fill out forms for summoning the ministers if they respected the rules, 74 of the 137 MPs present, voted not to summon ministers who did not hold the portfolios during last fiscal year.
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