Karbala Friday Prayers’ Leader:

Government reforms must not affect fight against ISIL

Rasa – Karbala’s Friday prayers’ leader has called on the Iraqi government to hasten the trial process for those involved in government corrupt and to establish the legal foundations for the implementation of reforms.

News ID: 3200

Date: 21 August 2015 - 19:35

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (A), Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi emphasized the importance of efforts to reform the Iraqi judiciary, but warned that reforms in the strife-torn country should not lead to the neglect of the war against the Takfiri terrorist group, ISIL, as well as support for the volunteer fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces on the battlefield.

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani added that legal reforms should not be cancelled under the pretext that they violate the Iraqi constitution.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Safi called on the people of Iraq to be patient in the face of the reform process and stressed that the country’s legal system must hasten its prosecution of those involved in government corruption and the theft of public funds.

The Iraqi cleric said the government should present the legislative reforms and new laws which Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi’s reform package requires as soon as possible.

al-Abadi rolled out a reform program on August 9 in response to popular pressure from weeks of protests against rampant corruption, reckless government spending and abysmal services, and a call for drastic change from the country’s top Shi’ite cleric, Ayatollah al-Sistani.

The top religious figure had urged al-Abadi to adopt “serious measures” against corruption in the Arab country.

Parliament approved al-Abadi’s plan along with additional measures, but a major gap remains between announcements and implementation.

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