KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani, calling corruption a major cause of instability in Afghanistan, has said his government has initiated reforms in the Ministry of Defence and the campaign would be extended to other departments.
A statement from the Presidential Palace said President Ghani met Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko and his delegation on Tuesday.
Ghani said: “The Afghans want a servant, effective and clean government and our entire efforts are confused on that demand.”
He said initial efforts at combating corruption had been launched and implemented and his government had a strong will to overcome the menace. He said corruption was one of the major factors contributing to instability in the country.
John Sopko praised the Afghan government’s anti-corruption efforts and congratulated the president on the launch of work by the newly created Justice and Judicial Centre.
He said measures the Afghan government had taken in fighting against corruption represented its strong will and seriousness, something reflected in the latest Transparency International report.
The report released last week shows Afghanistan has improved by four points in the global corruption index, climbing from third to seventh position.
Sopko told the president that measures to combat corruption should be increased and reforms should continue to be implemented in various sectors.
He said the United States would support every effort of the Afghan government at overcoming the menace. (Pajhwok)