The Afghan parliament on Monday approved the candidates for six ministriesand the chief of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), and votedagainst the confirmation of the nominees for the Ministry of Women’sAffairs and Ministry of Information and Culture.

In Monday’s session, 244 out of 248 lawmakers were present and the nomineesneeded 123 votes to be approved.

Ahmad Zia Saraj was approved as head of the National Directorate ofSecurity with 220 votes in favor, Haroon Chakhansuri as minister of Minesand Petroleum with 154 votes, Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi as minister ofAgriculture, Irrigation and Livestock with 189 votes, Noor Rahman Akhlaqias minister of Refugees and Repatriation with 165 votes, Qudratullah Zakias minister of Transport and Civil Aviation with 165 votes, Mahmud Karzaias minister of Urban Development and Housing with 154 votes and NajibullahYamin as minister of Public Works with 149 votes.

Tahir Zuhair, the nominee for the Ministry of Information and Culture, wasdenied confirmation having received only 78 votes in favor, and HasinaSafi, nominee for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, came up short with 119votes and thus was not approved by the Afghan parliament.

The parliament speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani has asked President Ghani tointroduce two new nominees for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and ofInformation and Culture, respectively. – TOLO News