KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday strongly condemned corruption and called for a national Jihad to fight the scourge that has gripped the country.

Speaking at a press conference at the Amani High School, in Kabul, Ghani spelt out in no uncertain terms that certain sectors are under scrutiny and sweeping changes will be brought in a bid to fight the problem.

Ghani said that if corruption turns into an organized phenomenon it becomes like a "cancerous lesion" that can threaten the essence of the nation. During his speech he urged the Ulema Council to assist and launch Jihad against corruption.

But in rooting out the problem he said efforts have to start in schools and mosques – but he also spelt out a number of sectors of primary concern.

One is that relating to government contracts. He says 350 projects have been reviewed by the National Procurement Authority. However, 28 have been rejected because of non-compliance with procurement law and that 8.5 billion Afs was saved by government through this review process.

Another area of major concern is that of property- and land-grabbing in Afghanistan. He said one of the problems is that owners do not possess title deeds to property they own in accordance with customary law.

Ghani said that for example, 65 percent of industries in Kabul do not have title deeds to their properties. However, government is working on resolving the problem and will issue legal deeds to those who own property.

Ghani said another major problem within the sphere of corruption is that of drugs. He said today there are an estimated 3.5 million drug addicts in Afghanistan.

According to him, the drug problem is also a driving force behind corruption. "Growers, producers and those who process, traffic and consume narcotics are all responsible," he said.

"To fight the criminal economy and mafia-like activities, government has focused efforts on developing agriculture through investment and support," he said adding that he wants Afghanistan to develop into a nation known for its legitimate exports.

In addition, he stated that government wants to restore the trade balance and prevent the importation of unhealthy foodstuffs from some of Afghanistan's neighbors.

Another area of major concern in terms of corruption is that of smuggling, said Ghani.

According to him, political influence and interference is a primary reason for corruption in the customs sector. He says shortcomings in the customs system has contributed to the spread of corruption and smuggling.

Ghani announced that in tackling this, government has decided to bring reforms in the customs sector and create customs police and establish a customs academy.

Another issue was that of mines – and their contracts. He said these contracts are apparently not transparent and that they are currently under review.

Meanwhile, the issue of historical antiques and artifacts of national heritage was also raised and he said that over the years, millions of dollars' worth of such relics has been smuggled out of the country.

Touching on the Kabul Bank issue, he said that all documents relating to the multi-million dollar corruption scandal have been reviewed and currently government is recouping the money.

In line with this, he said all banks in the country have come under scrutiny and that reforms to the sector can be expected.

In conclusion, Ghani emphasized that government was committed to fighting corruption and said that they will take action against those involved in illicit dealings.

He said the country needs a national Jihad to eliminate the scourge and thanked the Ulema Council for "caring about the issue of corruption".

Ghani said it is one of government's main tasks to fight corruption and that they have undertaken fundamental measures to eliminate the problem. (Tolonews)