Skip to main content
Latest news
Thumbnail

Senate Approves Ghani’s Legislative Decree on e-NIC

Afghanistan’s Senate on Sunday approved a legislative decree issued by President Ashraf Ghani stating the new electronic identity cards will note religion and ethnicity information of each person.

However, the Lower House of Parliament initially voted against the decree, but now a joint commission from the House of Representatives and Senate will be established to debate the issue. 

“We work on the information we receive, if the reports are credible, naturally we will take preemptive measures,” said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

This comes after the security department of the lower house notified lawmakers that the Taliban threatened all those who had opposed the two items on the ID cards.

“The decision of the Senate of Afghanistan is a national-oriented decision and it has no link to any party or government and we never bow to pressure,” said the second deputy of the senate Asif Sediqqi.

But the Taliban has categorically denied these allegations. 

The deputy speaker of parliament said the move was a conspiracy by government against the MPs.

“I do not believe the report that a threat was sent by the Taliban, this game is apparently plotted by the president and the head of the national directorate of security,” said Humayoun Humayoun, first deputy of parliament.

The controversy over the inclusion of information on nationality and ethnicity has been delaying the much-awaited process for several years.

Senate Approves Ghani’s Legislative Decree on e-NIC

A joint commission will convene to decide on whether to approve Ghani’s decree on including ethnicity and religion on the new ID cards.  

Thumbnail

Afghanistan’s Senate on Sunday approved a legislative decree issued by President Ashraf Ghani stating the new electronic identity cards will note religion and ethnicity information of each person.

However, the Lower House of Parliament initially voted against the decree, but now a joint commission from the House of Representatives and Senate will be established to debate the issue. 

“We work on the information we receive, if the reports are credible, naturally we will take preemptive measures,” said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

This comes after the security department of the lower house notified lawmakers that the Taliban threatened all those who had opposed the two items on the ID cards.

“The decision of the Senate of Afghanistan is a national-oriented decision and it has no link to any party or government and we never bow to pressure,” said the second deputy of the senate Asif Sediqqi.

But the Taliban has categorically denied these allegations. 

The deputy speaker of parliament said the move was a conspiracy by government against the MPs.

“I do not believe the report that a threat was sent by the Taliban, this game is apparently plotted by the president and the head of the national directorate of security,” said Humayoun Humayoun, first deputy of parliament.

The controversy over the inclusion of information on nationality and ethnicity has been delaying the much-awaited process for several years.

Share this post