Karzai wants ministers to declare assets

At the first meeting of his new cabinet on May 8, President Hamed Karzai asked ministers to register their assets and wealth so as to ensure transparency in the government. A statement from the presidential office quoted Karzai as saying, “People must know how much wealth and property their ministers and president own.” In the meeting, Karzai asked ministers to hire staff on the basis of merit and ability. He also emphasised that the ministers should ensure that they implement the Afghanistan National Development Strategy even-handedly in all of Afghanistan’s provinces.