KABUL (Pajhwok): Wolesi Jirga or lower house members on Wednesday said the Independent Election Commission (IEC) chief has insulted lawmakers by calling them ‘thieves’, while the commission termed it a slip of the tongue.
Abdul Baday Sayyad, the IEC chief, on Tuesday in a live TV program said that no ‘thieves’ like the current Wolesi Jirga members would be allowed to enter the lower house.
Most of the lawmakers present in today’s lower house session said that Sayyad’s statement on the TV was an insult to people’s representatives and asked for his introduction to judiciary organs.
Mohammad Naim Lalai Hamidzai, a lawmaker from Kandahar province, accused Sayyad of corruption, but provided no evidence in support of his claim.
“The IEC chief should be introduced to the attorney general office, he insulted the lawmakers and the Wolesi Jirga, Sayyad is a thieve and has taken money from a number of candidates,” he said.
His colleague from central Maidan Wardak province Ghulam Hussain Naseri said: “Sayyad is clearly a fraudulent person, the IEC is responsible for issuing fake identity cards and voter cards.”
Ali Akbar Qasemi, who represents Ghazni province in the lower house, said: “Sayyad’s statements are an insult to the whole nation and their representatives, we hope he would not repeat it again.”
He accused the IEC chief of discriminatory interaction and asked the leadership board of the lower house to take a stance on the matter.
A number of other lawmakers held similar views.
Wolesi Jirga speaker, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, termed Sayyad’s statement as unjust and immoral and said the IEC questioned its independence.
He said the IEC should not give such statements as such political interaction could confuse public mind about the IEC.
Meanwhile, the IEC spokesman in a press conference here called Sayyad’s comment as a verbal mistake and said he apologized on behalf of the commission head and members. He said no one had the right to insult the parliament.
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