Karzai Unveils Ambitious Government Reforms

Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued an ambitious list of government reforms.

His 23-page decree orders ministries, prosecutors, and the judiciary to fight bribery, nepotism, and cronyism.

It instructs officials to clear the attorney general's office and the courts of languishing corruption-related cases and do more than talk about bringing crooked figures to justice.

In the decree, Karzai also repeats his request that high-ranking government officials or their relatives not be granted rebuilding contracts.

Donor nations have long expressed concern about corruption within the Afghan government. Some $16 billion in aid pledged this month at a Tokyo conference is tied to a new monitoring process to ensure that the money is not diverted by corrupt officials or mismanaged.

Karzai has blamed international contracting procedures for some of the problems.

Based on reporting by AP and pajwok.com