KABUL: Afghanistan’s finance minister yesterday named in Parliament several lawmakers whom he said were guilty of corruption, triggering wild cheering and applause during a televised session of the lower house.

Corruption is one of the key challenges facing Afghanistan as it tries to establish a functioning state system before US-led combat troops depart next year, and the government is often accused of failing to tackle the issue.

Minister Omar Zakhilwal launched a passionate defense against attempts to impeach him over separate nepotism and graft allegations. Instead he publicly accused powerful MPs of smuggling illegal alcohol, fuel and cars.

One of the accused MPs, Naeem Lalai from the insurgency-racked Kandahar province, screamed and shouted from his seat as Zakhilwal delivered an incendiary speech that shocked and delighted many lawmakers.

The minister said Lalai had tried illegally to import 1,970 cars and Lalai and other lawmakers often demanded that customs officers allow their contraband shipments into the country.

“Any time he (Lalai) comes back from abroad he brings a lot of alcoholic drinks,” Zakhilwal said. “Yesterday, he called one of my customs officers and threatened him with death.”

The minister also accused Zahir Qadir, an influential MP from Nangarhar province and the son of a former warlord, of being involved in smuggling flour from Pakistan worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “I was called by Mr. Zahir asking me to release it,” he said.

Last year he was reported to have burst into tears at a meeting with international diplomats in Kabul as he defended himself against accusations of corruption leveled at him by Afghan rivals.

Roadside bomb kills 10

A bomb killed 10 civilians including women and children in southern Afghanistan yesterday, officials said, in the latest violence since the Taleban launched their annual “spring offensive.”

“The blast hit a pick-up truck in the Arghistan district of Kandahar province, killing four women, three men and three children,” Abdul Raziq, Kandahar provincial police chief, said.

Raziq said the victims were traveling to the funeral of two people who were killed by a similar blast a few days ago.

“A motorbike earlier hit a roadside bomb that killed two people, and today’s victims were traveling to attend that funeral when unfortunately their vehicle struck another bomb,” he said.

Javed Faisal, Kandahar provincial governor spokesman, said: “Tragically, we have ten dead. All the victims are civilians.

“The bomb was planted by Taleban insurgents in a district that borders Pakistan, and civilians are often the victim of these bombs,” Faisal said.