A large number of Afghan parliamentarians called an emergency meeting on Friday night to summon high profile security officials over what they described as humiliation of Afghan MPs in the hand of security officials. The MPs summoned Masoud Andarabi, the acting interior minister and Gen. Khoshal Saadat, the deputy interior minister after Kabul police reportedly mistreated MP Narander Singh Khalsa and MP Maryam Solaimankhil.
Ms. Solaimankhil claimed that she happened to have witnessed Mr. Singh being mistreated by Kabul police. She also claims that the police forces mistreated her as she tried to interrupt the police forces to stop humiliating an Afghan MP.
The Ministry of Interior has said it will investigate the case.
“The quarrel, which took place between police and MPs on Friday night, will be investigated seriously and fairly,” said Nassrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the MoI.
A Mol authority, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, rejected claims made by the MPs. He said a squad of Kabul police faced arm resistance as they attempted to remove tinted glass of vehicles owned by MP Solaimankhel. The source told Kabul Now that Afghan forces stopped her vehicle at Pol-e-Charkhi and politely asked Ms. Solaimankhel to get the tinted glass of her vehicle but her guards pointed at security forces and resisted.
“Maryam Solaimankhel has ordered her guards to shell at any police force who gets closer. Solaimankhel’s guards pulled trigger and pointed at security forces,” the source said.
In recent weeks the Afghan security forces have set up new check points at various points of the capital to ensure security, check if vehicles have legal documents and remove tinted glass of the vehicles.
Mr. Andarabi says Kabul police is in action against criminals, tinted glass and arms without permit in the city.
But MP Solaimankhel claims that police forces have taken MP Singh off his car and insulted him when he and five other MPs including Solaimankhel were heading toward the residence of former Afghan MP Mullah Tarakhil Mohammadi to attend in a funeral ceremony. “This is the third time that I see police forces stop Narander Singh’s vehicle while turning a blind eye on others’ cars. Police insulted him,” the MP said.
According to reports, as many as 150 Afghan parliamentarians showed up in the area after MP Solaimankhil informed them. They gathered in the parliament building, demanding Andarabi and Khoshal Saadat to immediately resign.
Some Kabul residents, however, have strongly condemned MP’s behavior, calling it selfish and against rule of law.
The Afghan lawmakers called urgent meeting not for the sake of the nation; they got together to protect their smuggling and mafia network, wrote Modaddasa Ahmadzai on her twitter account.
Khalil Pajhwak, journalist, wrote on his Facebook the Afghan parliament have done nothing since April 26 when it was inaugurated. “A vast majority of MPs have been absent for the last couple of months but soon as Kabul police stopped their cars for checking, they called an urgent meeting in midnight.”
Habibkhan Totakhil, journalist, however, claims he has witnessed the Afghan security forces mistreating the MPs and aggressively taking MP Narender Singh Khalsa off his vehicle. “This was the third time Khalsa was taken off his car on a roadside by police. The police beat Khalsa, and Javid Sapay, an MP who represents Kunar.”
