Noor slams Afghan parliament for rejecting only female cabinet pick

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: The governor of northern Balkh and chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami Ata Mohammad Noor slammed the Afghan parliament for rejecting the only female cabinet pick. Noor issued a statement after the rejection of the minister-designate for the mines petroleum Nargis Nehan was rejected by the lawmakers on Monday.

Nehan was the only female candidate among the 12 cabinet picks who were introduced to the lower house of the parliament, Wolesi jirga, to obtain trust vote. However, she did not receive the required votes and was subsequently rejected for the post although the eleven other nominees were approved by the lawmakers.

In the meantime, Noor said the rejection of the only female candidate from among the 12 nominees was a disappointing move bythe lawmakers. He said the rejection of Nargis Nehan is a sign that certain individuals still do not believe or oppose with the appointment of the women for the higher government posts.

Noor further added that the rejection of Nehan shows that the support to women is currently at the level of slogans, insisting that the decision regarding Nehan should be reconsidered insisting that the women form half of the society.