KABUL - The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday dubbed administrative corruption at Afghanistan’s security system as a huge challenge in ensuring security.
He said selling of bullets and ammunition was considered a national treason because it somehow financed and equipped insurgents.
CEO Abdullah told a three-day conference titled ‘Combating Corruption at Security and Defence Sectors, here that problems in ‘procurement and purchasing supplies’ and interferences in investigation of different cases were something that fueled administrative corruption.
Abdullah speaking at the third day of the conference termed the selling of weapons and ammunition by the security sector as a huge issue; because it was kind of financing and equipping of anti-government rebels, he said.
He said: “If the equipment meant for defending people is placed at enemy’s disposal and finally used against innocent people, then it is nothing less than a national betrayal.”
“When rumours spread about missing shells and bullets, the issue reaches the President, me and the National Security Council. Later on, we receive a report and come to know that the ammunition has been sold. This is very worrying. There is a need for remedial reforms.”
CEO asked authorities of security organs to pay serious attention to combating administrative corruption.
According to him, the fight against corruption would be a success when there was a strong political will and the law implemented equally on everyone.
Meanwhile, Farid Hamidi, the Attorney General of Afghanistan, also spoke on the occasion, saying fighting corruption was important for the country; but in security and defence institutions it was ‘very important’ and the most difficult at the same time.
He said corruption in such organs brought under question the heroism and sacrifices of security forces and it also resulted in people’s distrust.
He promised the AGO would fight corruption in all over Afghanistan, particularly in the security and defence institutions with precision, sternness, freely and impartiality.
Hamidi said until the phenomenon of corruption wasn’t fought jointly, nothing could eradicate it.
He said the conference was conducted for security, defence and judicial instituions’ joint fight against corruption, and reaching an agreement among these institutions would pave the way for their collaborative work against the menace. (Pajhwok)