KABUL – A number of international relations experts and political commentators on Saturday slammed the appointment of relatives of high ranking government officials to Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions abroad.
They said the practice was unprofessional, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has changed into a collection of family members and relatives of government officials.
President Ashraf Ghani during his election campaign pledged to appoint qualified individuals regardless of their political affiliation to government institutions and Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions.
“We have not promised the sharing of government, the government does not belong to us, this is supposed to be an asset of the nation,” Ghani said at the time.
But instead, the president has appointed his uncle Abdul Qayoum Kochai as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Russia. He will succeed Azizullah Karzai, the uncle of former president Hamid Karzai.
In 2014, Kochai however appeared to take a soft stance against the Taliban.
“I can not separate the Taliban from the Afghan nation and the body of Afghanistan, I cannot separate Hizb-e-Islami from the body of Afghanistan, they have fought Jihad, rendered sacrifices and martyrs,” Kochai said.
Political commentators and residents have said that the appointment of Kochai demonstrates the president’s ethnic affiliation.
“The ministry of foreign affairs has changed into a collection of family members of government officials and this hinders the way for Afghanistan to define an effective foreign policy,” university lecturer Juma Khan Mohammadi said.
“This is shameful, they can not do anything for the people,” Kabul resident Nasrullah Safa said.
“His (Abdul Qayoum Kochai) ability and qualification possibly was clear for the president, he might be a trusted man for the president, therefore, the chief executive has not any problem with his appointment,” CEO spokesman Jawed Faisal said.
The presidency and ministry of foreign affairs has yet to comment on the appointment. However, the office of the Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah has announced that the appointment was agreed upon by both the president and the CEO.
“He has appointed with consideration of all standards, when a person completes the necessary requirements, his connection to government officials cannot prevent him from gaining a government post,” MoFA spokesman Ahamd Shekib Mustaghni said.
The appointment comes after Ghani’s first VP General Abdul Rashid Dostum recently criticised the power sharing issue between leaders of the national unity government and said that the majority of those appointed in Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions are relatives and family members of the president and the CEO. http://outlookafghanistan.net/national_detail.php?post_id=15674
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