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Wolesi Jirga summons Patang — yet again

Wolesi Jirga summons Patang — yet again

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20 Jul 2013 - 15:31
Wolesi Jirga summons Patang — yet again
author avatar
20 Jul 2013 - 15:31

KABUL members on Saturday decided to summon Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang over his failure to appear before the lower house and answer lawmakers’ questions on the security situation.

Patang, Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi, Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) head Abdul Khaliq Farahi and National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Asadullah Khalid were asked last week to brief MPs on law and order.  

Patang sent his deputy to the assembly, but legislators angrily rejected the presence of the deputy minister. The minister had been asked several times to appear before the security commission but he remained defiant, one member said.

The house should vote on whether or not to bring a no-confidence motion against Patang, demanded Nawab Mangal, a lawmaker from southeastern Paktia province.

He accused the interior minister of failing to do justice to his position because the security situation had nosedived across the country after his appointment.

The minister had failed to keep his promise that he would explain the security situation to lawmakers at the end of each month, said another member, Abdul Saboor Khidmat. Patang did not have the courage to appear before legislators, he claimed.

In fact, the minister paid no attention to Wolesi Jirga calls, observed Mohibullah Forqani. When an MP went to the ministry to resolve voters’ problems, Patang tended to avoid meeting him/her, the lawmaker said.

At their previous meeting, parliament speakers had urged the president to make ministers to appear before MPs in case of being summoned.

But Patang, who was asked to come to the jirga a week ago, ignore the assembly’s decision, regretted Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi.

Under the supervision of Ibrahimi, some of the members signed the summons for the interior minister. The date for would be set by house commission heads, he said.

myn/mud

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