Afghan parliament's attempt to oust minister rebuffed by Karzai KABUL - Afghanistan's parliament tried to oust Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang with a no-confidence vote on Monday but was rebuffed by President Hamid Karzai, who said a court must decide whether the move is legal. The lower house of parliament voted 136 to 60 against Patang, citing deterioration of security and a sharp increase in police deaths in recent months as the number of Western troops in the country has declined. Patang, who as interior minister for the last year oversaw Afghanistan's national police force, was accused by lawmakers of graft and incompetence, and criticized for allegedly refusing to attend commission meetings and meet with various members of parliament. But the most serious concern cited by lawmakers was the spread of attacks by Taliban-led insurgents. Before Patang's disqualification by the parliament, which was televised live, he reported that 2,748 police officers had been killed in the past four months, which coincided with the Taliban's spring offensive period. That death toll was much higher than estimates previously released by the interior ministry. Patang also said that despite a U.N.-funded disarmament effort launched in 2002, some 275,000 illegal firearms are still scattered across Afghanistan, a nation of about 31 million people. Unlike many ministers in Karzai's government, Patang is regarded as having no factional affiliation or links with key players. The parliament wants Karzai to nominate a successor. Years ago, the parliament voted out Karzai's foreign minister, but he managed to stay in his position because he had the president's support. On Monday, a statement issued by Karzai's palace said Patang could stay in his position as acting minister until the court finalizes a ruling on whether and how the parliament can remove him.