Parliament

KABUL (PAN): The Wolesi Jirga on Saturday decided 10 polling zones would be set up for nomadic Kuchis in the next parliamentary elections, a move that drew criticism from some lawmakers.
A draft election law, having 17 chapters and 67 articles, was referred for approval to the Wolesi Jirga -- or lower house of parliament -- in December 2012.

KABUL (PAN): Some members of the Wolesi Jirga on Saturday alleged Pakistan had issued identity cards to a number of residents of the Goshta border town in eastern Nangarhar province, a claim rejected by the district chief.

KABUL (PAN): The Wolesi Jirga on Wednesday decided to summon Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang yet again, paving the grounding for a new political showdown.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi announced the lower house decision, saying the date for summons would be firmed up by heads of different parliamentary panels.

KABUL (PAN): The Wolesi Jirga on Monday authorised the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to announce final poll results, recommending the creation of a polling centre in each province of the country’s 35 provinces. The draft election law, having 17 chapters and 67 articles, was referred for debate and approval to the lower house in December 2012. Last week, the house approved two important articles of the law concerning the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system and ballot counts at voting centres.

KABUL (PAN): The Wolesi Jirga on Wednesday rejected an article of the proposed election law suggesting a panel of judges to investigate poll fraud claims. Lawmakers insisted such authority rested with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). The draft law, having 17 chapters and 67 articles, was referred to Wolesi Jirga -- or lower house of parliament -- in December 2012. Legislative Commission head Qazi Nazeer Ahmad Hanifi, who presented Article 4 of the law for debate, and said the government had proposed that a tribunal should be empowered to investigate election complaints.

KABUL (PAN): Summoning Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang for Monday, lower house members on Wednesday declared they would not visit the ministry for a month in protest against his recent remarks. On Sunday, Patang told the National Security Council (NSC) he had been summoned 32 times by the Wolesi Jirga and 14 times by the Meshrano Jirga during the past year. Over the last four months, the minister said, MPs had inundated him with 15,200 applications.

KABUL (PAN): Some members of the Meshrano Jirga on Tuesday denounced as an insult to the parliament Interior Minister Ghulam Mujtaba Patang’s recent remarks on being repeatedly summoned by lawmakers. On Sunday, Patang told the National Security Council (NSC) he had been summoned 32 times by the Wolesi Jirga and 14 times by the Meshrano Jirga during the past year. Over the last four months, the minister said, MPs had inundated him with 15,200 applications.

KABUL (PAN): The Wolesi Jirga on Monday approved two important articles of the proposed election law concerning the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system and ballot counts at voting centres. The draft law, having 17 chapters and 67 articles, was referred to Wolesi Jirga -- or lower house of parliament -- in December 2012. Legislative Commission head Qazi Nazeer Ahmad Hanifi said the panel’s discussions showed 11 articles of the draft law were controversial.

KABUL (PAN): Some senators on Sunday alleged security officials in parts of the country had reached agreements with insurgents not to attack each other and defining their spheres of interest.
Members of the Meshrano Jirga expressed their deep concern over growing insecurity in much of the country, saying some officials had agreed with militants not to be weighed against each other.

KABUL (PAN): Upper House (Senate) members on Tuesday asked the Ministry of Interior to ensure new electronic ID cards were distributed to the people ahead of the 2014 presidential elections.
Kabul residents started receiving the new ID cards this month, a process to be initiated in other provinces as well.