MPs to look into census law approval

KABUL members objected the way the population census law was passed earlier this week, the lower house on Wednesday appointed a delegation to investigate the issue.

Some lawmakers claimed the law had been passed despite incomplete quorum, calling for the move to be revised. On Monday, two members clashed and others walked out in protest as the house approved the law on population census.

As 1st Deputy Speaker Mirwais Yasini, who chaired the session, presented the draft to the house for approval, 105 MPs raised their green cards. But some lawmakers rose from their seats and started uproar.

Yasini ruled the law had been approved after 105 of the 136 MPs present raised their green cards. Around 10 MPs, who staged a walkout, insisted tribes should be mentioned in ID cards.

 “Any law which is passed by the parliament should be in line with the demands of the people and should not defame the Wolesi Jirga,” Syed Anwar Sadat, an MP from northern Sar-i-Pul province, told today’s session.

“Two days ago, Mirwais Yasini and Saljooqi violated the constitution by announcing that the law has been approved. They did not consider the incomplete quorum and should apologise to the nation,” he said.

“I am not talking about Uzbek and Turkmen only, but all tribes who want their names mentioned in ID cards,” he said in a reference to a specific ethnic group.

His remarks infuriated a lawmaker from southeastern Khost province, Kamal Nasir Osuli, who hurled a book at him.

But Sadat later apologised, saying his speech had been misunderstood. He added he was just criticising the government.

Aimed at preventing issuance of forged computerised ID cards, the draft was presented by the Ministry of Justice in March. It comprises seven chapters and 39 articles. Under the law, computerised ID cards will be issued to all Afghans in three phases.

A month back, the lower house had approved some controversial articles of the law, but did not fully adopt it due to opposition from some lawmakers, who suggested Article 6 should be sent to the Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution (ICOIC) for interpretation. The article says tribes should be mentioned in database but not written in ID cards.

myn/ma/mud

Visits: 3