KABUL - lower house of Parliament -- on Saturday announced a list of scores of lawmakers who remained absent from the legislature last month without informing the assembly secretariat.
Announced by Secretary Abdul Sattar Khwasi, the list includes Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayaf, a lawmaker from central Kabul province, Mir Amanullah Gudz, Baktiash Seywosh, Ezatullah Atif, Syed Ali Kazmi and Obaidullah Kazmi.
Fatima Nazari, Abdul Hadi, Nijla Dehqan Nejad, Rahima Jami, Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani, Farida Hamidi, a female MP from Nimroz, Abdul Wadood Popal and Habiba Sadat (both from Helmand) are also on the list.
Abdul Rahim Ayubi, Bibi Hamida (Kandahar), Obaidullah Barakzai (Uruzgan), Qazi Abdul Rahim (Badghis) and Asifa Shadab from Faryab were among the abseentees.
And so were Fehmida Sadat from Jawzjan, Syed Noor Sadat and Khiar Mohammad Eimaq from Sar-i-Pul, Huma Sultani, Shah Jehan and Arif Rahmani from Ghazni, Razia Mangal Sadat and Ibrahim Ghakhtalai from Paktia, Shakila Hashmi from Logar, Sadiqa Mubariz from Maidan Wardak and Maulvi Moahhid from Nuristan.
Similarly, Mirwais Yasini, Laila Wali Hakami, Fareshta Anwari and Faridon Momand from Nangarhar, as well as Zalmai Mujaddadi, Abdul Latif Padran and Amanullah Paiman from Badakhshan and Syed Mansoor Nadri from Baghlan also stayed away from house sessions.
Alam Khan Azadi, Ishaq Rehguzar, Asadullah Sharifi and Abbas Ibrahim from Balkh and Kuchi tribe representative Hela Irshad were among the 43 indidivuals.
Second Deputy Secretary Nimatullah Ghafari told Pajhwok Afghan News the Administrative Board had decided to deal with the absentees in line with the house internal procedures.
Under Article 132 of the procedures, if a lawmaker remaining absent for five consecutive days without giving any reason, his/her salary is deducted and name released to the media at every weekend.
Ghafari said they did not release names of absent lawmakers at weekends as a mark of respect to some senior politicians. The incomplete quorum has long been a key challenge to the house to take decisions on issue of national interest.
However, the deputy secretary hoped possible action against lawmakers would help overcome the issue. No action has so far been taken against absentee lawmakers in the past.
Mohammad Arif Shah, who happens to be on the list, said he had been absent for a week, not for a month. He was busy meeting his constituents and listening to their problems during the period.
To a question, he acknowledged his failure to give any information to the Administrative Board because others did not do so. "No one has informed the board so far," he concluded. (Pajhwok)