Lawmaker: Afghans wary of US pact concession

An Afghan lawmaker says President Hamid Karzai's promise that American soldiers who stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014 cannot be tried in local courts has caused uproar in Parliament.
According to emerging details of the US-Afghan security pact, the United States will maintain exclusive legal jurisdiction over US troops and contractors in Afghanistan after 2014.
Lawmaker Shah Gul Rezayee told The Associated Press that Afghan lawmakers were briefed by the country's security adviser about the concession, which was made public by Congressional aides in Washington.
The accord is to be debated at a gathering of 3,000 influential Afghan figures later this week, the so-called Loya Jirga, a traditional means of consultations. The final authority rests with Parliament.

Scores of demonstrators protested the deal today in eastern Nangarhar's provincial capital of Jalalabad.