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Scores of youth, braving the hot weather, on Tuesday rallied in the capital Kabul against rampant corruption in government departments, urging the Karzai administration to translate its anti-graft slogans into action.
Calling for the prosecution of graft-tainted officials, the demonstrators chanted “Down with Land Grabbers”. The movement of files in government offices had gained momentum but corruption there had also reached new heights, they alleged.
The youth called for good governance, deploring Afghanistan’s dubious distinction of being the second most corrupt country in the world. However, they welcomed President Hamid Karzai’s commitment to combating corruption at the recent Tokyo Conference.
If the president desired, he would be stoutly supported by the youngsters, said the participants who marched from the Allauddin Square to the parliament building.
They asked lawmakers to unseat the state functionaries involved in corruption, violations of law and stashing away national wealth in foreign banks. The MPs had not dealt with the corrupt in an appropriate manner, the youth believed, urging them to convey people’s voice to the global fraternity.
A declaration issued at the end of the demonstration suggested the merger of all anti-corruption bodies into one powerful entity. It called for parliament to take effective steps against the menace of pervasive graft.
Mohammad Shafiq Popal, an organiser of the rally, told Pajhwok Afghan News that corruption was the most principal reason for the nation’s suffering. He added the yawning gap between the rulers and the ruled had forced many to swell the ranks of insurgents or indulge in other unlawful activities.
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