KABUL (SW): A number of Wolesi Jirga (lower house) members on Wednesday warned the government that if the abducted passengers in Kunduz are not liberated from the rebels they would take to the Arg (Presidential Palace) in protest.
On Tuesday, the rebels stopped four vehicles that were heading to Takhar province via the Aliabad district in Kunduz, and pulled some 185 passengers. The militants killed 14 of the passengers on the spot while moving them to their hideouts, many were set free while 38 passengers were seized.The Taliban released eight more passengers on Wednesday, keeping 10 others in their captivity.
Sidiq Sidiqi, spokesman for Ministry of Interior, told reporters on Wednesday that 4 perpetrators in connection with the abduction have been arrested.
He said that all the abducted passengers were civilians.
Fawzia Kofi, a women WJ member, accused the government of failure in fighting the Taliban. She pointed out to the incident and said that the rebels have managed to bring the fight to the doorsteps of each resident in the country.
Abdul Rauf Ebrahimi, speaker of the house, questioned that if the government cannot ensure security of the citizens, it should stop collecting taxes.
He warned that the government should take serious action in two days to release the passengers.
Abdul Wudod Paiman, another parliamentarian, dubbed the incident as “painful” and said that there are certain people involved in the incident.
He urged upon the government to execute the perpetrators of this horrible incident.
Nilofar Ebrahimi, another member of the house, said that this was not the first of such incident of the sort, and without doubt would not be the last.
She too warned that if the government did not act to ensure safety of the citizens, the MPs would take to the streets.
Qudratullah Zaki, another MP, said on the occasion that if the situation prevailed, the government would lose its legitimacy.
At the end, Abdul Rauf Ebrahimi, the speaker, urged upon the government to do what it takes to release the remaining abducted passengers. He emphasized that the government should bring changes to its fighting strategy.
Separately, tens of civil society activists took to the streets in Kabul pushing the government to take serious measures for releasing the captive passengers, and ensuring security at the highways across the country.
ENDS
