Parliament

KABUL (Pajhwok): Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament on Wednesday approved Khalilullah Sediq as governor of Da Afghanistan Bank.
The government introduced Khalilullah Sediq to parliament for a vote of trust along with two nominees for members of Supreme Court -- Mohammad Yusuf Halim and Anisa Rasouli.
Presenting his plans to lawmakers, Sediq said he would introduce measures to prevent crisis in banking sector and rigorously implement laws against money laundry and financing of terrorism.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Anisa Rasouli, the member-designate for the Supreme Court, failed to win vote of confidence from the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament.
On July 1, the government introduced nominees for the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) and Supreme Court to the Wolesi Jirga.
Anisa Rasouli while explaining her plans to the lawmakers today said she would improve meritocracy, maintain justice and basic rights of citizens, preventing inference in judicial affairs and trying to ensure equality between individuals.

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani has assured lawmakers his ministers would appear before them to answer their questions, the Meshrano Jirga or upper house secretary said on Tuesday.
Senate members have boycotted attending sessions from the last two days in protest against the fast worsening insecurity in the country and the killing of 24 Afghan Local Police (ALP) men in the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province by Taliban insurgents.

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Protesting lawmakers on Tuesday ended their one month sit-in against the newly elected governor but their supporters attacked the governor house with stones, leaving windowpanes of the governor house smashed.
Earlier, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) introduced Taher Zahir as governor for central Bamyan province amid protest by some lawmakers and people.
Zahir was appointed as governor by the (IDLG) last month but he delayed resuming work due to opposition by some lawmakers.

KABUL (Pajhowk): Some lawmakers on Monday feared the Gulbadin Hekmatyar-led Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA)’s decision to support the Islamic State (IS) militants could strengthen the new group’s activities in Afghanistan.
The HIA in a recent statement quoted Hekmatyar as saying: “Communists, the Jamiat Party and the Taliban recognise the HIA as their enemy number one. These three groups were created by the enemies of Afghanistan against the HIA to oppress the voice of Mjuhaideen.”

KABUL (Pajhwok): Members of the upper house of parliament or senate on Sunday vowed not to attend Wednesday’s meeting as a token of protest against what they said deteriorated worst law and order situation specifically the gruesome killing of Afghan Local Police (ALP) in central Maidan Wardak province.
Last Thursday, heavily-armed insurgents stormed and seized several police check posts and later killed 24 ALP men mercilessly in central Maidan Wardak.
However, officials said security forces regained control of security check posts that overran by insurgents.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament voiced serious concerns over mayhem in the Jalrez district in central Maidan Wardak province, has tasked internal security and defence commissions to thoroughly probe the incident.
Taliban insurgents on Thursday overrun 12 security check posts in Jalrez district.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament on Saturday did not approve Mohammad Masoum Stanikzai as defense minister.
On July 1, the government introduced defense minister-designate, the nominee for the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) and two members-designate of the Supreme Court to the Wolesi Jirga for vote of confidence.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Hundreds of Taliban gunmen have surrounded about 80 policemen in their compound in central Uruzgan province for the last nine days, a lawmaker said on Wednesday, blaming the government for taking no action to rescue them.
Lawmaker Obaidullah Barekzai said a local police commander, Samad, and 80 other policemen had been surrounded by more than 800 insurgents in the Khas-Uruzgan district for the last nine days.

KABUL (Pajhwok): As many as 64 Wolesi Jirga (WJ) members on Wednesday signed agreed to summon minister of interior to brief the august house about growing incidents of violence that has been plaguing the country for weeks and the group attack on the parliament building.
In line with article 92 of the internal principles of the house, a minister could be summoned after approval of 20 percent lawmakers. At least 50 members of the lower house make 20 percent of the total strength of the house.