A number of lawyers and lawmakers on Wednesday said the continued absence of the First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from work is against the national interests.

They said government should address the allegations against Dostum as soon as possible.

Dostum has not been at work since the alleged assault against former Jawzjan governor Ahmad Eshchi last month. 

“Mr. Dostum feels annoyed and he wants to cut his cooperation with government day by day. This is doing big damage to the National Unity Government,” said Sher Khosti, former governor of Khost.

“The absence of him [Dostum] will create a big gap in government. It will affect public mindset towards government and it will increase the distance between government and the people. It will also increase the fracture among ethnicities,” said Zekria Osuli, a law lecturer. 

A number of MPs meanwhile said the only way to overcome the issues is that talks are held between government leaders.

“This is against Afghanistan’s national interests. I urge government leaders to address people’s problems in this respect,” said Helai Ershad, an MP.