Ghor gathering asks governor, his deputy to resign

FIROZKOH (Pajhwok): Religious scholars, provincial council members and civil society province on Monday urged Governor Syed Anwar Rahmati and his deputy to resign.

Addressing a gathering here, Mohammad Nasir Azhand, a spokesman for civil society groups, said they wanted the two officials to resign in the wake of the prevailing crises in the province.

He said the gathering participants expressed concerns over the performance of the two officials and urged them to tender resignations in order to let capable individuals replace them and resolve the crises.

Azhand said the governor and his deputy had been set Friday a deadline to resign; otherwise they would shut doors of the governor’s office.

He said members of cultural societies, influential figures, youth and students representatives and elders attended today’s gathering and they were united in their call for the dismissal of the governor and his deputy.

Provincial council member Mualvi Mohammad Ishaq Amiri said the two officials had been using government machinery for their personal activities.

He alleged under their leadership, Ghor could not progress and the law and order situation did not improve. 

Fazal Haq Ihsan, the provincial council head, said most issues remained unresolved and even complicated under the incumbent governor.  

A recent survey shows corruption has drastically increased in some government departments of the province.

Conducted by a strategic planning team, the survey carried out in Firozkoh, the provincial capital, Lal wa Sarjangal, Dawlat Yar and Dolina districts took 45 days to complete. It ranks Ghor first in administrative corruption.  

It found and placed on number one the court of appeals, education sectors in corruption. 

The survey found less corrupt and listed on number two position departments including Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Services Commission (IARCSC), Rural Rehabilitation and Development (RRD), the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and the Economy Department.

Ranked third include Independent Election Commission (IEC and Religious Affairs.

But deputy governor Mohammad Amin Tokhi rejected the allegations against him. He said people should register their complaints with the departments concerned and wait until the departments ended their investigations.

About the survey, Governor Syed Anwar Rahmati said every government employee tried to make money, but his administration had launched efforts to do away with corruption and other such anomalies.

He said bribes and illegal transfer of money from one hand to another had become a trend in government departments. Rahmati lamented most people believed they could not get their problems resolved in government offices without paying kickbacks.

He said change in leaderships at local departments held key to eliminating corruption, saying officials holding positions for decades had developed relationships that paved the ground for corruption and illegal demands. 

nh/ma

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