KABUL - Roughly 300 attorneys were called to the Presidential Palace to be tested on their knowledge of the law on President Ashraf Ghani's decree, which has been determined as a way for the president to bring reforms in the judicial institutions.
The attorneys protesting before the Presidential Palace on Wednesday refused to appear for the tests, saying it was disrespectful to them as they claimed to have practical experience for 20 to 40 years in the country's courts.
They claimed that Ghani was trying to remove them from their positions under the pretext of tests.
The attorneys demanded the dismissal of Ghani's legal advisor, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi, who they claimed has studied in Iran and was assigned to overlook the tests.
"An illiterate person has come to take tests from those who have 20 to 30 years of experience," a protesting attorney said. "Everyone can make forged degrees in Pakistan, Iran and even in Washington. Is there anyone to check the documents of the advisor?"
They emphasized that instead of taking tests Ghani could directly remove them from their positions.
"We are appointed formally and we can also be removed formally, so what are the means of these tests?" a female attorney Malalai complained.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General's advisor, Ibraz Ahmad Mehergan, said the government was trying to remove those attorneys from their positions who had not studied law.
Some other protesting attorneys accused Ghani of replacing the attorneys and government officials with those who helped him win the presidency.
"This is not a fair process," protestor Hashmatullah Ghalib said. "Their purpose is to replace the government officials and attorneys with the election campaigners."
Meanwhile, the legal experts also opposed this practice of government, suggesting fair methods for bringing qualified and eligible persons into the government departments.
It is said that about 2,500 attorneys across the country have studied till the twelfth grade and have not studied law.
Mohammadi, however, did not respond to a TOLOnews request for information in this regard. (Tolonews)