KABUL (PAN): A number of people in this central capital believe injustice was done to some ministers-designate by rejecting them during the Saturday voting process by the Wolesi Jirga although they say there may be involvement of national interests. Only seven of the 24 people, nominated as his cabinet members by President Hamid Karzai, were given trust vote by the Wolesi Jirga while the rest were rejected. Sayed Noorul Haq, resident of Kabul city and head of the Youth Society, said the Wolesi Jirga decision was based on national interest. Without naming any one, he said several of the individuals were nominated by Hamid Karzai under some compromise. He said those people were adjusted in the cabinet on the basis of understanding with some jihadi and political parties and some key government figures, like Karzais first deputy Muhammad Qasim Fahim and second deputy Karim Khalili. He said men who were nominated on the basis of some compromise could not manage to get the trust vote. Im happy that the Wolesi Jirga took a decision keeping the national interests in mind, said Noorul Haq. However, he termed some decisions of the Wolesi Jirga about some ministers as unjustified. According to Noorul Haq, the minister-designate for communications Eng. Amirzai Sangin and health minister Sayed Muhammad Amin Fatimi should have been approved as ministers by the Wolesi Jirga. He said the two men had done a lot of work in their respective ministries during the previous cabinet. In the same token, he said Dr. Obaidullah Obaid, who was head of the Kabul Medical University, was the most suitable person for the portfolio of Higher Education, but failed to get the trust vote from the Wolesi Jirga. Suraya Parlika, head of the women association, also appreciated the decision of members of the Wolesi Jirga and said this was the first time that the parliament proved its independence. However, she said the jirga should have approved the women affairs minister and Dr. Obaidullah Obaid. Another resident of Kabul city Sayed Ismail Sukhanwarzada said the Wolesi Jirga decision was the most suitable step in respect of some ministers. He said some groups have pushed their representatives under secret understandings. He did not name any group or person, but said that he was happy that the parliament paid head to national interests instead of keeping in view the interests of some individuals or groups. Like Noorul Haq, Sukhanwarzada also praised the works done by Amirzai Sangin and Fatimi during their period as ministers in the previous cabinet. Muhammad Rafiq Shahir, head of the professionals' council in Herat, also expressed satisfaction over the Wolesi Jirga decision. He did not name someone, but said the rejected men did not possess the capability but introduced as ministers under compromise. He said majority of the ministers were also rejected because a large number of Wolesi Jirga members were opposed to President Hamid Karzai. Member of the Kunduz provincial council Maulvi Abdullah also appreciated the Wolesi Jirga decision. This was the right thing, because people involved in corruption were rejected. Unfortunately, a few other such people were also rejected who were not believed to be rejected by the Wolesi Jirga, he added. Ghulam Farooq Khpalwak, a teacher at the Engineering Department of the Balkh University, said some names for the cabinet were introduced under compromise and the Wolesi Jirga did not right job but trashing their names. However, it may be said that some of those, who were rejected, were deserving approval on the basis of their previous works, he said. A tribal elder from Sherzad district of the eastern Nangarhar province Malak Muhammad Hassan said the Wolesi Jirga members were their elected representatives and they respect their decision. The elder said the Wolesi Jirga had taken the decision on the basis of national interests with a total disregard to tribalism, ethnicities, caste or groupings. dk
