The Ministry of Interior continues its efforts to overcome corruption and bring more reforms to the security agency, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak said.
He addressed an event titled ‘The Guidance Conference for Civilian Deputies of Provincial Police Commanders’ where he said that afterwards he would not accept any personal recommendation by employees of the ministry to promote them or increase their privileges.
Barmak sharply criticized corruption and misuse of authorities by some officials in the ministry and said no one will be allowed to interfere in the recruitment process of the institution.
“After this, no employee of the (interior) ministry can individually submit their recommendation to promote them or to hire them in a better position,” Barmak said.
Barmak meanwhile talked about a case where a police force member misused his authority in Kabul on Friday evening.
“Last night in Klola Pushta Square (in Kabul), one of our police force members was drunk while he had this sacred uniform that we wear. Then he came on the street and did a mess. He was insulted there and a man came and took his gun when saw that the policeman is abnormal. The man beat him and then gave back his gun and told him to go back to the police vehicle,” said Barmak.
At the same event, the deputy minister of interior Massoud Ahmad Azizi asked for more reforms and attention to administrative processes in the ministry.
The Ministry of Interior has been under harsh criticism for ‘corruption’ in recent months.
President Ashraf Ghani last week on Tuesday said at the 10th graduation ceremony of Afghan police forces from the national police academy that “hiring should be conducted based on the police’s rules and regulations and no more personal recommendations should be accepted.”
He warned MPs not to visit the Ministry of Interior for appointments or promotion of their relatives and friends in the ministry. He said if this happens, names and videos of those lawmakers will be aired by the media.
Ghani also pointed out that bringing reforms in the police is needed in order for them to gain the people’s trust.