Hundreds attend anti-Wolesi Jirga rally in Parwan

CHARIKAR decision.

On Wednesday, the lower house rejected a clause of the law on provincial councils, barring the elected bodies from overseeing the performance of local departments.

The decision sparked protests by PC members in various provinces, with some closing down their offices.

Some 600 people took part in today’s protest rally in Charikar before noon. They marched from the Zangal Bagh area to the city square.

Ghulam Bahauddin, the council head, said the provincial bodies should be given back their right to oversee activities of local departments.

He said the rally was attended by people who had voted for provincial council members and they wanted the oversight role to be given back to their representatives.

He said these protests would continue in various provinces until the people’s demand was met.

Another participant, Mohammad Ismail, a Charikar resident, said they had voted for PC candidates in order to protect people’s interests and rights.

“How can they protect our rights when they lack power and the right to monitor performance of local departments,” he asked.

Two days ago, President Ghani directed the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) to investigate PCs oversight role and draft legislation for approval from the parliament.

The IDLG said Ghani met representatives of provincial council members and entered an agreement on how they should monitor activities of provincial government departments.

ma/mud

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