MPs reject decree on military retirement age

KABUL on Wednesday rejected with a majority vote a presidential legislative decree reducing retirement age for military officials.

More details could not be discussed regarding the law in today’s lower house session, but according to previous reports the retirement age of military officers and generals will be brought down under the new law.

Dawlat Wazeri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), last month said the retirement program for elderly officers would be implemented in two years in order to avoid downsizing in the ministry.

Mir Dad Khan Nijrabi, who heads Wolesi Jirga’s commission on security, presented the presidential decree 158 in the house.

He said the decree in nine chapters and 91 articles referred to the organization of personal affairs of military officers, lieutenants and staff sergeants.

He said the presidential decree was against the previous draft law of the house and most of the Wolesi Jirga commissions had rejected it.

Nejrabi said the president could not issue a legislative decree on matters about the law already existed and approved.

Some other lawmakers expressed similar views and demanded rejection of the presidential decree.

Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi called for voting on the decree and of 121 lawmakers present, 101 rejected the decree.

Ibrahimi tasked the house internal security and defence affairs commission with working on the amended format of the law and presenting it to the house in upcoming sessions for a decision.

After the decree was rejected by the lower house, MoD spokesman Waziri told reporters the legislation was aimed at reforming and further strengthening the MoD because currently 5,000 young officers were on the reserve list.

“There is no problem in the draft law and if the Wolesi Jirga has rejected the decree, it is their authority. However, there is nothing wrong in the officers personal law,” he added.

According to Waziri, preparation for the retirement of officers and generals is underway and the process would be completed in two years.

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