President Karzai of Afghanistan fired his transport minister yesterday and ordered an investigation into his handling of contracts to take 30,000 Afghans to Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

Hamidullah Qaderi, who was only appointed in March, was sacked at a cabinet meeting for “negligence of duty and suspicious activities,” according to a statement from the President’s office.

It was the first time that Mr Karzai has sacked a minister for alleged corruption at a cabinet meeting.

The move appeared to reflect the mounting pressure on Mr Karzai from his Western backers to root out widespread corruption in his government before next year’s presidential election, in which he is expected to stand.

In a cabinet reshuffle last month, he replaced Zarar Ahmad Muqbil, the ethnic Tajik interior minister, with Mohammad Hanif Atmar, a Pashtun who had been education minister and had a strong record against corruption.

Mr Muqbil, who had been interior minister since 2004, was appointed minister of refugees and repatriation, but is reported to have turned down the post.

The interior ministry is dominated by ethnic Tajiks and is reputed to be one of the most corrupt in the government with close links to criminal groups and individuals, including those in the drugs trade.

The transport and civil aviation ministry, which runs the beleaguered national airline, Ariana, also has a reputation for mishandling public funds, particularly in relation to the hajj.

Saudi Arabia offers 30,000 Afghans the chance to make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is due to start in a few weeks.

The government selects the pilgrims using a draw-like system and charges them about $3,000 each for transport and living expenses.

In 2005, the government arrested two Afghan deputy ministers and six officials for involvement in a scam in which pilgrims did not receive what they had paid for.

President Karzai ordered an investigation into contracts that Mr Qaderi had signed for the transport and accommodation of pilgrims, and into alleged delays and a lack of facilities once they reached Mecca.

It added that the President “also instructed all relevant authorities to speed up efforts to facilitate quick and convenient transport of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia”.

Mr Qaderi signed a $29.55 million contract in September with a Malaysian company called Global Air to transport 30,000 Afghan pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia.

Mr Qaderi, a former businessman who once headed Afghanistan’s International Chamber of Commerce, opened a $30 million new international terminal at Kabul airport last week.

President Karzai also issued a statement yesterday criticising US troops for killing 14 private security guards in eastern Afghanistan.

The US-led coalition said its troops shot at three vehicles carrying armed men in Khost province on Sunday only after its occupants opened fire on their forces.

But Mr Karzai said that those killed were private security guards working for a road construction company.

“Carrying out such attacks will only expand the gap between the people and the government of Afghanistan, as well as between Afghanistan and its international allies,” he said.

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