KABUL (SW): In the hiring process of guards for mosques, nepotism is evident. While officials in the Police District (PD) 13 of Kabul informing that soon the list of names of people who will be hired to provide security for Shiite mosques will be announced, a number of local representatives and residents in the area, claimed that some local representatives have placed their relatives in the list.
Azizullah, a resident of PD 13, stated that the local representatives have pushed for their relatives as guards for the Shiite mosques who do not even know how to operate a weapon. According to him, the hiring process was not made public and the representatives have done nepotism.
Even the guards who are shortlisted for the positions, also stated that they are only hired based on relationship.
Ali, another local resident, said that based on acquaintance with a local representative, he was included in the proposed list of security guards for the mosques.
Yahya Hashimi, a local representative of the PD 13 area of Kabul, also acknowledged the fact that representatives have been pushing their relatives for security jobs for mosques in parts of Kabul. According to him, each mosque has selected 5 to 7 persons and introduced to Ministry of Interior where they were given a 2-day training.
He further added that the selected guards will be armed soon by the Ministry and will be paid 7 thousand afghanis per month.
But, Abdul Ahad Yazdan Parast, a member of Kabul Council and member of Security Committee for Mosques, rejecting the allegations told Salam Watandar that the selected persons will be present at the mosques during Friday prayers and religious ceremonies to provide security in coordination with security forces.
The member of Kabul Provincial Council added that the initial idea is to provide security for 101 Shiite mosques and 15 Sunni mosques by the locals and will expand to other parts of Kabul.
Mohammad Reza Kohi, the police chief of PD 13, said that a list of 170 persons from 34 mosques of the district from the Religious Affairs Committee of the mosques via the Ministry of Haj and Islamic Affairs, is received by the PD station. He clarified that the police is not involved in preparing the list, but it is possible that the local representatives had involvement. He assured that the police has vetted the candidates to assure safety.
Najib Danish, the acting spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said if official complaints of nepotism are received in the process hiring guards for the mosques, the Ministry will investigate the issue.
But, some military experts believe that creation of such security units under the Ministry is helpful.
Jawid Kohistan, a military expert, said that creation of special units to provide security for religious places is beneficial than other programs at the Ministry of Interior.
It is worth mentioning, due to increasing attacks on Shiite mosques and the complex attack on the Imam Zaman mosque in PD 11 last month, the Shiite Ulema Council proposed security measures to the Ministry of Haj and Islamic Affairs.
The Ministry officials deliberated on the proposal with the National Security Council which got an approval, the Deputy Ministry of Security at the MoI was assigned to implement the proposal.
ENDS
