Two Wolesi Jirga members on Saturday claimed that an army commander and police insulted them and beat and arrested their bodyguards.
Naseb Muqbil, a lawmaker from southeastern Paktia province, told Pajhwok Afghan News Gen. Khanullah Shuja, commander of the 203rd Thunder Military Corps, insulted him in front of the provincial police chief and the governor at the Governor House of Paktia province and beat his armed bodyguards.
He said he traveled to the province on the invitation of the governor to resolve a dispute between the governor, the provincial council head and some people.
Muqbil said when he reached the Governor House, the Thunder Corps commander and the National Directorate of Security (NDS) department head were already present there.
The lawmaker said as the discussion started on security issues, the Thunder Corps commander insulted the people of Paktia and threw a glass of water at him.
“I stood up and told him that you don’t have the right to insult people. In reply, he ordered security personnel to beat me and then the governor took him out of his office,” he said.
Khalid Asad, an another lawmaker from Paktia province, without going into details said that Muqbil was tortured in the office of the Paktia governor and asked the lower house administrative panel to investigate the issue.
Meanwhile, Sharifi Balkhabi, a lawmaker from northern Sar-i-Pul province and head of the Judicial Commission of the lower house, said police thrashed her two bodyguards on Thursday in front of the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs when she was inside the ministry.
“I came out of the ministry and could not find my bodyguards and the driver and when I inquired about them, I was told that they had been taken into the police station. I reached there but nobody responded then I called the second deputy speaker to ensure the release of my bodyguards,” said Balkhabi.
Ahmad Shah Ramazan, second deputy speaker, said he contacted the acting minister of Interior, deputy police chief of 10th police district for the release of Balkhabi’s bodyguards.
Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani directed the internal security commission to investigate the torture issue of lawmaker Muqbil and beating of Balkhabi’s bodyguards and share the report with the house.
