Thursday, July 28, 2011 – A number of Afghan members of parliament on Wednesday voted to summon Afghan Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister over recently released audio tape attributed to him that contain remarks against parliament and the president.
In an audio clip which was released a few days back, attributed to the Afghan Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister, President Hamid Karzai’s government has been called illegitimate to govern the nation, a comment which lawmakers considered an insult to the parliament and the president.
An Afghan member of parliament, Haji Qurban Kohestani said, “If he had remarked in a state of abnormality, he should apologise to the nation. He should be called over, otherwise this wouldn’t be a legitimate parliament.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Raouf Ebrahimi, speaker of the house said, “he hasn’t made acceptable remarks, but he has rejected that the audio clip belongs to him.”
The government of president Karzai and the National Council was called us illegal in a four minute audio clip, which contained a voice that sounds like that of Jarullah Mansoori.
The person speaking in the audio clip says, “many people have been killed in the country and he [Karzai] has illegally been the president so far. The Parliament has no legitimacy. If they put me in prison and get me fired from my post because of my age, I swear I wouldn’t give a damn about it, and I want to assure you all that I would continue to become a minister for many times in this country until I am alive.”
In the meantime, Afghan Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister, Jarullah Mansoori on Monday called a press conference and denied that the audio clip contained his voice.
Mr. Mansoori said, “no conscientious Afghan could make such remarks. If you go after the sound clip, that’s not mine. I’m proud to be a member of the cabinet of the one who is the founder of a new Afghanistan.”
