KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament on Wednesday decided to summon top security officials on March 27 in connection with a bloody attack on a hospital in Kabul.
The death toll from the March 8 complex assault on the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Military Hospital has climbed to 50, with another as many wounded.
But Wolesi Jirga members put the toll at 170 killed and another 150 wounded in the attack, which has been claimed by Daesh or so called Islamic State (IS) militants.
Strongly condemning the savage attack, the lawmakers decided to summon Defense Minister Abdullah Khan Habibi, Interior Minister Gen. Taj Mohammad Tahid and National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Mohammad Masum Stanikzai and interrogate them about the attack.
Wolesi Jirga speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaking at today’s session, said he had signed the form for summoning of the three senior security officials on March 27.
Under Article 92 of the Constitution, the lower house, on the proposal of 20 percent of all its members, shall make inquiries from each minister. If the explanations given are not satisfactory, the house shall consider a no- confidence vote.
President Ashraf Ghani during a meeting with Ibrahimi on Tuesday said he would soon introduce candidates for ministries currently run by acting officials.
On November 2, the lower house summoned 16 ministers and impeached the ministers of foreign affairs, labour, public works, education, transport, communication and higher education in absentia.
The impeachments prompted the Cabinet to hold an extraordinary meeting and move the Supreme Court. The Cabinet instructed the unseated ministers to continue in their work in acting capacity until a ruling from the apex court.
Ministries of information and culture, border and tribal affairs and mines and petroleum are also headed by acting ministers.
Abdul Bari Jahani and Daud Shah Saba, who served as information and culture and mines and petroleum ministers, have resigned. The border and tribal affairs minister, Mohammad Gulab Mangal, has been appointed as the governor of Nangarhar province.(Pajhwok)