KABUL - Parliamentarians on Sunday strongly criticised the country's leading prosecutor for issuing a letter that says MPs who failed to appear in the house for more than 20 days should be "dismissed."
A lack of quorum in lower house of the parliament is seen persisting over the past many months. A lawmaker from western Farah province, Mohammad Sarwar Usmani, claimed the letter was read out to him during a television program on Saturday night. "The letter says if a parliamentarian does not attend the house for more than 20 days he or she shall be dismissed and replaced," Usmani said of the letter issued by Mohammed Ishaq Alako, the Attorney General (AG).

He said the AG had no legal right to issue such letters. He asked the house to summon Alako and call an explanation from him. "It is an insult to the parliament," he insisted.
Another lawmaker from western Herat province, Qazi Nazir Ahmad Hanfi, also echoed Usmani's remarks, saying the Attorney General's Office lacked any legal authority to interfere into parliament's affairs.