A senior presidential official Sawabuddin Makhkash has been jailed after he was found guilty of violating the ethnic and religious equality by a court in Kabul.

Makhkash, a senior official in the administrative office of the president and a former member of the electoral team of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, was convicted for violating the ethnic and religious equality by the Appellate Court and was awarded a two-year jail term.

Jamshid Rasooli, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said they referred Mr. Makhkash’s case to the court after completing the review of the case nearly a year ago.

He said Makhkash was found not guilty by the preliminary court but since enough documents and evidences were available against him, the case was referred to the Appellate Court which convicted him of violating the ethnic and religious equality and subsequently awarded him two years of jail term.

Makhkash had prepared drafted a plan to hire officials in the government by preferring individuals with a specific ethnic background. The plan leaked into the media after he had shared it in a general group in Telegram.

The leakage of the document sparked a public outcry forcing President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to instruct the Attorney General’s Office to review the case.

The draft plan mainly focused on hiring officials with Pashtun ethnic background in key governmental positions while individuals with other ethnic backgrounds were also preferred provided that they are trusted by the government.