Corrupt individuals to be dealt with under Sharia law: Mayor

KABUL (Pajhwok): The new acting mayor of Kabul says the contractual companies will be paid their dues, roadside vendors will be relocated and corrupt elements will be dealt with in accordance with Sharia law.

The newly-appointed mayor, Hamdullah Nomani, who is also the head of the Taliban’s municipality commission, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said long-term plans for municipalities were being considered to bring about reforms, but currently their priority was to remove security barriers for Kabul’s cleanliness, greenery, and urban expansion.

He added Kabul had been transformed into a military division and they would use the resources of the municipality to remove concrete walls and other obstacles and had also asked the Ministry of Public Works for help in this regard.

According to Nomani, massive corruption plagued all departments of Afghanistan in the past, but the “Islamic Emirate” has now pardoned all people. “So this means that no one is arrested for past corruption.”

But he added: “We have pardoned all those indulged in past corruption but it’s not justice, forgiveness requires huge price. So many people have been killed, we have so many widows, but people have been forgiven for peace, so it is less to forgive someone’s corruption for peace. ”

He said when the new government was announced, there would be some crimes that should be addressed by the courts.

Dozens of reports about corruption in the Kabul municipality have been published. Two weeks ago, Pajhwok Afghan News published a report that said municipality employees and police illegally collected around 20 million afghanis a day from vendors.

The new mayor, Nomani, said they would consider a special place for vendors to sell goods without making traffic jams.

He called on vendors in Kabul not to pay taxes to anyone and if anyone intended to do so they would be held accountable.

“Right away we don’t pay attention to things that cause a controversy, we will have an organization for hand-cart sellers that will provide them with their daily wages,” he said.

“Illegal constructions that have been done or on-going will remain until the second order, but efforts are being made to legalize them,” he added.

He said the municipality had now postponed the affairs of land ownership in Kabul, new appointments in the municipality and payment for projects until the new government was formed.

He added: “The contracting companies with the municipalities have been told to continue their work and some companies might have not been paid and these problems will be addressed soon.”

Nomani assured that no corruption would take place in the revenue of the municipality and it may not be collected through the online system.

sa/ma

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