Gov’t to Probe Leaked Memo over Alleged Discrimination at President’s Office

1. Government will probe a “classified” document which pointed towards alleged discrimination in the appointment process of officials at the Administrative Office of the President (AOP), the Presidential Palace (ARG) said Tuesday.

The document was reportedly shared by Sawabdin Makhkash, the Deputy Chief of Monitoring and Observation at AOP via Telegram Messenger group chat, which later leaked through the Etilaat Roz daily newspaper.

The document contains “Main Deliverables” with 12 articles.

“We should appoint Herat Pashtuns who cannot speak Pashto and we should appoint Tajiks and Uzbeks symbolically,  who will definitely work based on our demand so the people would think that the officials from all ethnic groups are in  the Administrative Office of the President,” the ninth article of the document reads.

The Deputy Presidential Spokesman said  that the officials who acted  based on the articles of the mentioned “classified” document, will face legal actions.

“All citizens of the country have equal right, according the Constitution, and no one can provoke ethnic discrimination in the government institutions,” said Dawa Khan Minapal. “The government will probe this case,” he added.

Makhkash, who was “forced” to resign from his position, following the case, has rejected the claims against himself and called the document “baseless”.

“The published file is fake, and there is no document to prove its legality,” he said.

By Shakib Mahmud and Ali Asghari.