Disciplinary action against MPs promoting ‘ethnic strife’

KABUL on Saturday emphasized on taking disciplinary action against lawmakers accused of promoting ‘ethnic strife’ over the election issue in southern Ghazni province.

Earlier, the lower house’s Wednesday session was prorogated amid an exchange of harsh words between two lawmakers

Speaking at today’s session, lawmaker Abdul Latif Pedram form northeastern Badakhshan province hit out at the Independent Election Commission (IEC)’s decision dividing Ghazni province into three separate electoral constituencies.

But Kamal Safi, a legislator from northern Kunduz province, called for unity on the issue and accused Pedram of harming national interest and insulting other ethnic groups.

Wednesday’s decision from the IEC to divide Ghazni into three constituencies came following months-old protest movement by residents of the province, besieging the IEC office in Ghazni City.

Ghazni becomes the first province to be divided into separate constituencies for the Oct 20 Wolesi Jirga and district council elections.

Wolesi Jirga speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said law violations had become a culture on the assembly floor. He said MPs promoting ethnic bias would be dealt with in accordance with the house internal code of conduct.

He called elections as national process and urged the IEC to deal with the Ghazni issue based on the Constitution otherwise the IEC and the government would be responsible.

pk/ma

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