Parliament

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Wolesi Jirga (WJ) members on Saturday claimed $3.3 million were embezzled in last year’s hajj operations, asking the officials concerned to respond to the claim.
The lower house summoned Daud Sultanzoy, presidential advisor, Haj and Religious Affairs Minister Faiz Mohammad Usmani, Aryana Airlines Chief Daud Sharifi, Civil Aviation Director Cap. Hamid to brief lawmakers about the hajj operations.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some lawmakers on Saturday said officials involved in the release of Kabul Bank main debtor from jail to sign a multimillion real estate contract with the government should be fired.
Former Kabul Bank chief executive and major defaulter Khalilullah Ferozi, who was convicted last year in the massive banking fraud scandal earlier this month launched work on an ambitious township project -- involving an initial investment of $98 million -- in the heart of the nation’s capital.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Wolesi Jirga or lower house members on Wednesday said Haji Zahir Qadir’s allegations about the presence of Daesh leaders in Kabul and their government backing should be investigated.
Fakoor Beheshti, a lawmaker from central Bamyan province, said: “Accusing each other in the current situation is causing divisions and one pillar of the state shouldn’t blame the other.”

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Wednesday referred a 462 billion afghanis draft budget for the next fiscal year to the Wolesi Jirga -- lower house of parliament -- for approval.
Afghanistan’s fiscal year begins on December 22. The Meshrano Jirga, which received the proposed budget on November 8, sent it back to the ministry with certain recommendations.
Meshrano Jirga members said most of next year’s projects envisaged in the draft budget were carried forward from 2015. The senators noted a lack of balance in provincial allocations.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Meshrano Jirga chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar on Wednesday said Afghanistan supported the initiative to create an international coalition against terrorism.
The Senate chairman was speaking at a plenary meeting at the Russian Federation Council upper house of parliament. "We welcome and support the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on a truly coordinated fight against terrorism and the creation of an international coalition against it," Muslimyar said.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some Mesharano Jirga members on Tuesday said the government was not willing to hold parliamentary and district council elections, stressing increased pressure on the regime to conduct the ballots.
Senator Gul Ahmad Azami said they had recently a meeting with the president, in which they found the government unwillingness to conduct the elections visible.
He said if more pressure was not exerted on the government, the elections to the lower house might not take place in next two years.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Mesharano Jirga on Tuesday decided to summon members of a fact-finding commission on the fall of Kunduz city, the capital of northern Kunduz province, to brief the upper house about the pros and cons of their inquiry.
Two months back, hundreds of Taliban gunmen stormed Kunduz City from various directions, capturing the strategic city after a few hours of clashes with security forces.
Security forces, however, took back the control of Kunduz city and drove the rebels from the area after two weeks of fighting.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Wolesi Jirga’s financial and budgetary commission on Monday said charging the 10 percent tax on cell phone users was illegal after a presidential decree imposing the levy had been rejected by the lower house.
The lower house earlier this month rejected by a majority of vote the presidential decree which had been endorsed by the Council of Ministers during parliament’s summer recess, with lawmakers arguing the presidential decree was against Article 79 of the Constitution.

KABUL (Pajhwok): Wolesi Jirga’s first deputy speaker Haji Zahir Qadir on Monday alleged the leaders of Daesh were in Kabul and were supported by the National Security Council (NSC), an allegation the NSC rejected as baseless and far from reality.
Qadir had been in Nangarhar, his hometown, over the past three months, rearranging his private militia to fight the Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Meshrano Jirga-- upper house of parliament -- on Sunday approved the draft budget for 2016 despite some lawmakers’ concerns at imbalances in the accounts.
Finance Minister Mohammad Eklil Hakimi earlier placed the draft budget -- envisaging 283.3 billion afghanis in terms of general expenses and 168.5 billion afs development funds -- before the Senate for approval.