PC members call off protest in Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The provincial councils (PC) members and their supporters called off their protest on Thursday after assurances by the Kabul police chief that their grievances would be brought into the notice of the authorities concerned.

Abdul Rahman Rahimi assured the protesters that their legitimate demands would be conveyed to the authorities, said Sayyed Abdul Rahman, the provincial council chief of capital Kabul.

Earlier in the day, enraged provincial council members and their supporters blocked the road leading to the Hamid Karzai International Airport to protest the Wolesi Jirga’s decision.

The lower house has amended the law on provincial councils, barring the elected bodies from evaluating the performance of local departments.

But President Ashraf Ghani had said PC members should supervise the performance of local bodies under a defined framework.

Despite this assurance from the head of the state, PC members and their supporters continued with their protests against the lower house. On Thursday, they blocked the main airport road at 10:30am till 2:00pm.

Sar-i-Pul PC head Mohammad Noor Rahmani said: “The protest will continue until the Wolesi Jirga reverses its decision.”  

Article 139 of the Constitution says: “The provincial council shall participate in the attainment of the development objectives of the state and improvement of the affairs of the province in the manner prescribed by laws.

The article adds PC shall advise the provincial administrations on related issues and perform its duties in cooperation with the provincial administration.

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