Afghan Presidential Palace has been giving the indications that it is really serious about fighting the corruption and making the reforms that were suggested by President Karzai possible. In a recent statement Nasrullah Stanikzai, the Head of Presidential Justice Board has said that any official or organization that would neglect the President's recently released reforms will be punished.
President Karzai had suggested a list of reforms regarding betterment in the system and eradication of corruption. Afghan government has been under the pressure of international community as the corruption in the country has not been curbed appropriately. In response to the President's suggested reforms, the Afghan parliamentarians reacted vehemently and some of them called the plans for reforms as "ridiculous" and "deceiving".
They even said that if President was interested in eradicating corruption he should have started from Presidential Palace. They thought that eradicating corruption would not be possible if corrupt officials are not sacked.
It is really important for Afghan Presidential Palace to launch reforms so as to improve the socio-political scenario but it has to be careful enough to keep the parliament in confidence. Unless the parliament members agree with the policies, it would be difficult to claim that the reforms are really wide-ranging and there would be difficulties in implementing them as they would not gain the favor of the majority. Moreover, it should be taken care of that the law and order should treat everyone equally. If there are corrupt leaders within the Presidential office they should be punished in accordance to the law.
The commitment of Stanikzai in this regard is appreciable. He has said that if corruption exists in the Presidential Palace or in any other organization, the decree orders to fight against it. The commitment is promising; however, more important is its proper execution.
Corruption has been haunting Afghan society and even major institutions to a large extent. It has not only incapacitated the capabilities of the Afghan government to make a positive difference in the society but has also raised many doubts in the minds of the ones who have been supporting Afghan people with assurance and honesty.
There have been many promises made to eradicate the corruption, but looking at the scenario, one can easily conclude that only few have been followed. At the moment, as the Presidential Palace has taken the initiative, it must follow it to make it more effective and make every possible effort to implement the measures that are agreed upon by the relevant authorities and, most importantly, that are better for the maintenance of rule of law in Afghan society.