The press office of the House of Elders

July 19, 2010

In the plenary session of the Meshrano Jirga on Sunday led by Speaker of the House, presidential decree about establishment of the Ministry of State for Martyrs and Disabled Affairs and several international conventions have been approved and ratified.

Presidential Decree No. 75 and. 132 on the Establishment of the Ministry of State for Martyrs and the Disabledwhich were studied in the commissions of the Meshrano Jirga.Moreover, Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Degrees (2011 Tokyo Convention), in the Agreement Framework of establishing the International Solar Energy Union (ISA), and Treaty on the World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO) on performances and phonograms (approved December 20, 1396) which were studied in the commissions of the Meshrano Jirga, presented in the session by the chairs and members of the commissions, and approved the by the session.

In open discussion, the Speaker and a number of senators denounced the recent attacks of Pakistani troops along the Durand Line, saying that in addition to the firing of rocketsto the center of Kunar province that caused casualties, Pakistani troops has established gates in districts of Durbaba of Ningarhar province and in the areas of Bahramche district of Helmand, border cross has been made by them which is an obvious violation that must be prevented. They added that the Senate expressed support of the government’s stance on Pakistani violations and called on the UN Security Council to prevent violations by the aggressor government of Pakistan in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. In connection with this issue, internal consensus was also emphasized, noting that the country’s parliament has played a significant role in this consensus and should follow this issue closely.

Also, the security situation in the northern and northeastern provinces of the country was considered horrible; Senators ofTakhar and Sar-e-Pul provinces reported that Taliban are preparing to captureTakhar and Sar-e-Pul provinces as soon as possible, and they have taken control over most of the public roads in the north of the country and are committing all kinds of crimes. The government must intensify the clean-up operation in order to eliminate these serious threats.

At the session, Engineer HasibullahKalimozi, Chairman of the International Affairs Commission, exposed the betrayal and embezzlement of large amount of money in the construction of the wall of the Afghan Embassy in Washington.He said that this issue was discussed in the meeting of the commission yesterday with the relevant officials of the government and Pajhwok news agency, that a lot of money has been wasted in this project and the president should investigate it and its perpetrators should be reported to the attorney general for investigation.

Also in the session, Lotfollah Baba, senator of Nangarhar province, said: the government is going to build a new airport in Gambiri desert which this place is not suitable for the construction of an airport, that it will stop the cultivation and agriculture of the people in that area, and another suitable area for the construction of this project should be established in this province

Moreover during the session, Criticism of the integration of public order and border forces in the Ministry of National Defense,Criticism of the non-participation of the high ranked officials of the Ministry of National Defense in the session of the Commission on Defense and Internal Security,setting fire to a school in Taloqan city, Displacement of hundreds of foreign terrorist families in Kohistanat district of Sar-e-Pul province and the resulting threats by that, Failure to pay the salaries of a number of disabled people of last year,  Increased in criminal offenses in Kabul city, Failure to mention the names of tribes in the electronic ID and emphasis on its solution,Lack of serious care for shrubs and trees along Darul-Aman Road in Kabul and other concerned issues were raised in the session.

In summing up part of the session, speaker of the House emphasized for investigation of the construction of the wall of the Afghan embassy in Washington by the International Affairs Committee of the Senate to study and follow up this issue together with the relevant bodies. The Speaker of the Senate called on the National Security Council Advisor and the leadership of the Defense, Security and Intelligence Sector to take appropriate action on the security situation, especially in the falling provinces of Takhar and Sar-e-Pul, and to address citizens' concerns.

The Speaker of the Meshran Jirga discussed about the concerns of writing the name of one nation to another in the electronic ID, and said that the National Statistics department is obliged to be careful in this regard and mentioning one nation to another one is interference in the personal affairs of citizens. In this regard, he also instructed the Complaints Hearing Commission to pursue the matter with the officials of the National Statistics Office.

In the other part of the session, the activities and functions of Dr. Faruq Wardak, the former Minister of Government in Parliamentary Affairs, were praised and commended, and a certificate and a badge of the House of Representatives were awarded to him. The speaker of the upper house, described Dr. Farooq Wardak, as a prominent politician and a successful political figure. He said that when he was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, he was able to establish good coordination between the National Assembly and the government and carried out its operations successfully.

Then, Dr. Farooq Wardak, while appreciating the appreciation of the Senate, said that this senate has always strived for the great interests, stability of the country and the dignity of the people, and has set it as its policy.

Morover, Dr. Zalmai Zabuli, Chairman of the Complaints Hearing Commission, presented the report on the implementation of this commission at the first session of the current legislative year and said that during this period, the commission has been able to solve the problems that existed in the water supply projects of Dasht-e Barchi and asphalt of two kilometers of Safa town road and its operational work was not started for many years, and the concerns of the local people in this area have ended.

Also, 21 officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who had been illegally dismissing of their duties by Ajmal Ahmadi, the former acting minister of that ministry, will re-determine their fate in cooperation with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission.

Dr. Zabuli strongly criticized the illegal actions of Ajmal Ahmadi, the acting governer of Da Afghanistan Bank, in dismissing a number of high-ranking officials of the bank, and said that the commission had referred the complaints to the Attorney General's Office and that it should be seriously investigated.

Zabuli added that the Complaints Commission had introduced Dr. Homayoun Qayyumi, the former acting Minister of Finance, to the Attorney General's Office on charges of corruption, but had not been questioned. The commission also followed up on the complaints of 68 members of the Ministry of Finance who were banned from leaving the country without considering the principles and laws, and they were unrestricted from the exit ban. In addition, members of the commission were able to prevent the sale of the properties of the Central Silo and the National Radio and Television.

The chair of the Complaints Hearing Commission said that the issue of usurpation of 74 acres of land by the American University of Afghanistan has been largely pursued and he hopes that the Attorney General will address this issue. On the other hand, the Minister of Justice has been given one month to stop political parties that are operating illegally.

And the existing problems of the Ministry of Public Health, such as the disappearance of ventilator, non-payment of salaries of health personnel, lack of medical and equipment and some illegal dismissal of health officials by the Acting Minister of Health, are on the work list of this commission and will be addressed.