KABUL (SW): The President’s legislative decree concerning the inclusion of the term “Afghan” on the face of the proposed ‘biometric identity cards’ was again challenged by some members in the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) on Wednesday.
The Decree was passed some time ago by the joint committee of the lower house and the upper house (Mishrano Jirga), but 4 members of this commission did not attend the decisive session. On Wednesday, a number of WJ members considered the decision of the committee unacceptable, and said that it is ‘void’ on the basis of the Article 100 of the Constitution.
Abdul Qayum Sajjadi, a representative of the MJ in the joint committee, said the committee did not comply with Constitutional standards, and its formation was not complete. He added, according to the law, the resolution can be ruled out if it cannot resolve the dispute, “since equal number of members from both houses were not present at the time of vote, whatever was decided is in violation of the Article 100 of the Constitution”.
The MPs opposing the move said the speaker of the WJ is under pressure from the government, and hence played a ‘double-role’ in the WJ on this decree.
However, a number of MPs said that this issue is resolved for good, and that the parliamentary resolutions need not be re-examined and re-voted upon. Mirbad Khan Mangal, a member of the WJ, said that not all of the members of the committee were present in many of the laws passed by the WJ and MJ.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said on the occasion that with the complete presence of the members, the house can vote on it again.
ENDS
