Parliament first secretary Abdul Qadir Zazai Watandost was accused on Monday of dealing secretly with a ministerial nominee before the vote to have him approved by MPs.
 
Watandost has denied the allegation.
 
Parliament member Freshta Amini said Monday that Watandost, in a secret deal with a nominee, had given the nominee names of more than 60 MPs and had promised that they will support him in the vote. 
 
According to Amini, the nominee then got a vote of confidence and became a minister. The minister allegedly involved has not been named.
 
Amini said Zazai had promised the nominee that the named MPs will vote for him on condition that he appointed one or two people from his side at the ministry.
 
“Zazai submitted 62 names, including mine, to one of the nominee ministers and had said they will vote for him if he were to appoint one or two people,” Amini said. 
 
Amini’s accusation on Watandost’s secret deal with a ministerial nominee was made during last week when 12 ministerial nominees were approved by the MPs.
 
Watandost rejected the allegations and urged the parliament speaker to order that the accusation be proven. If not, based on parliament’s internal rules, Amini should be dismissed from parliament for 20 days. 
 
“I suggest that Amini should name the minister and then the minister should be asked to come to parliament. If the allegation proved to be true, I will resign not only from the administrative board but also from the parliament itself. 
 
“However, if the minister did not prove it (the allegation), I will ask the administrative board to enforce article 83 of parliament internal rules on Amini,” said Watandost.
 
Parliament speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi has asked the MPs not to accuse each other, adding that such a move would be immoral. 
 
“I think for a member of the house to be accused by another member, is immoral and detracts from the dignity of the house,” Ibrahimi said. 
 
It was not the first time that parliament administrative board and some MPs have been accused of having secret deals with ministerial nominees. Earlier some MPs had accused their colleagues of dealing with government institutions for gaining government jobs and money.