The recent remarks made by First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum against the National Unity Government (NUG) leaders was met with mixed reaction at Wednesday's session of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament).

Some MPs criticized the statement while others supported Dostum's opinion.
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A number of MPs said Dostum's remarks were made for his own benefit and that senior officials in government will not criticize the president unless there is a reason behind their frustration.

"The first vice president is afraid that someone will want to remove him from his position, but no one will do that," said Kamal Nasir Osuli, an MP.

"Afghanistan's situation is like the situation of a flock (of sheep), where a wolf is assigned to look after it. God help the flock," said Obaidullah Barekzai, another MP.

"He [Dostum] has always stabbed his friends in the back. He does not have political and mental stability," said Iqbal Safi, another MP.

Meanwhile, other MPs supported the first vice president's statement against the NUG leaders.

Commenting on the issue, MP Abulhai Akhundzada, said: "I appreciate Dostum's remarks, because he told the truth. He felt responsible and wanted to make Afghans aware about the problems at the Presidential Palace."

"The first vice president [Dostum] has complaints, the Chief of Executive [Abdullah Abdullah] has complaints, president's special envoy on reforms and good governance [Ahmad Zia Massoud] has complaints; therefore, it seems that there is something behind the scene," said Sadiqizada Nili, a lawmaker at the Wolesi Jirga.

"President [Ashraf Ghani] says the activities of the first vice president should be investigated by the anti-corruption judicial center. This is worrying," said Shakiba Hashimi, another lawmaker.

This comes after Dostum accused Ghani of nepotism and criticized Abdullah for what he called incompetence.