KABUL (SW): The Minister for Water and Power on Monday survived the vote of confidence at the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) after an unexpected summoning.
Some members of the house charged Minister Ali Ahmad Usmani for not being able to utilize up to 60 per cent of the development budget, indulging in corruption and not being able to timely execute major development projects.
The Minister for Water and Power rejected the allegations leading to a vote that resulted in his favor. Up to 122 WJ members out of the 166 present in the house expressed confidence in Usmani while as only 32 expressed their lack of confidence in him.
Announcing the results of the vote-of-confidence exercise, Mohammad Nazeer Ahmadzai, deputy speaker of the house, urged the MPs not to call for impeachment of ministers simply on basis on their ethnic or other affiliations.
Some MPs criticized the Minister for scraping contracts related to the construction of Almar, Pashdan and other dams, but Ali Ahmad Usmani clarified his decisions in details. Another reason why the Minister was summoned was a dossier related to his alleged corruption sent to the Attorney General’s Office.
In his remarks, the Minister for Water and Power pledged to serve the nation interests without succumbing to internal and external pressures.
ENDS
