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.