Verbal, physical tensions disrupt parliament session

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AT-KABUL: The parliament’s general session was disrupted after some verbal and then physical tensions happened among the lawmakers.

The tensions took place after lawmaker Abdul Latif Pedram, criticized the government for holding election in Ghazni province based on zones. He said that some “fascist circles” inside the presidential palace had hands in such things.

“How can they consider Ghazni as an exception and want to divide it into zones? This is discrimination because they know that representatives of Hazaras will win more votes. A few fascists in the presidential palace have done this,” said Pedram, who represents Badakhshan province in the parliament.

His statement was followed by a surge of criticisms mostly from Pashtoon legislators.

“The law has not been violated. Pedram Khorasani is provoking ethnic issues. He should not disgrace an ethnicity and we do not let him,” said Kamal Safi, using the term of Khorasani in a reference to Pedram’s past remarks who used the old name of Afghanistan.

Nader Katawazi, another lawmaker from Paktika province said: “Pedram provokes ethnic issues every day. He uses the term fascist. This creates ethnic differences, he should be expelled from the session.”

Pedram was not allowed to defend his statements against the MPs’ accusations and was subsequently attacked by those lawmakers.

“Unfortunately, sensations overcome wisdom among the lawmakers. Thus, they restore to violence instead of argument,” said lawmaker, Ramazan Bashardost.

“We should be cautious to observe the parliament moral when we express our opinion,” parliament speaker, Abdul Raouf Ebrahimi said.