KABUL (SW): President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Sunday inaugurated the Youth Parliament aimed at empowering youngsters to work for improving social, economic and political situations in the country.
Members of the Youth Parliament are selected by Administration of Youth Affairs for a period of six months. Two young men and a female is selected from each of the 34 provinces in the country.
President Ghani while addressing the parliament, said that it is an honor to welcome the dynamic youngsters in this parliament who would be the future leaders of Afghanistan. He said that representing the countrymen is an honor as well as a serious responsibility. “It is a moment of pride to see the young generation here who would heal the wounds of the nation, you are here in the home of the nation, and representing the nation is an honor as well as a responsibility”.
A number of youth institutions have however, charged that the members of this parliament have been selected based on their personal ties with the influential figures rather than merit or competence.
Esmatullah Muslim, head of Youth Reaction Institution, told a press conference that those youth who were competent have been sidelined and that only those who have been supported by those in power have made it to the Youth Parliament.
He added that a lot of youth in the Zabul province were not even given the forms to fill but there are members in the Youth Parliament who are 35 years old.
Meanwhile, Kamal Sadat, Head of Adminstration for Youth Affairs, discarded such claims and said that the tests for winning a membership to this parliament was transparent and was held under the supervision of Independent Election Commission and the UN.
ENDS
