In Malistan and Jaghori Districts, people have demonstrated. The protesters have gathered at the town centers of the districts who are chanting slogans against Karzai and his corrupt government. They are claiming that, in spite of knowing about the number of voters in these districts, the Afghan Government and Election Commission deliberately conveyed less ballot papers to prevent Hazara representatives entering the parliament.
An opportunity to participate in the second Afghanistan Parliamentary Elections ended and the subsequent planned fraud for removing and adding the votes of people began. Before this, government officials, election commission officials and local candidates in elections had widespread violation. Formerly, a supervising body, monitoring the election, had cautioned of hundreds of rigging and independent Afghan Human Rights Commission had announced its concerns over not moving tens of polling centers to secure areas.
There are reports from different areas that the ink/colour used in the elections had finished early, although in some areas have been elected, and some constituencies have run out of ballet papers despite the fact that many people did not vote.
There are confirmed reports from Ghazi Province that thousands of people in Jaghori District, Malistan and Nahur could not cast their votes due to shortage of ballet papers. Mukhtar Pedram, the Managing Director Weekly “Hashd-dad”, who has visited Jaghori District says, “There were a large number of people in the election but, unfortunately, tens of areas faced shortage of ballet papers which prevented thousands of people to vote.” He says, “Only in Jaghori District, 14,000 people could not cast vote to their favourite candidates due to its unavailability. In Malistan District, three polling centers were shut down because of lack of ballet papers and about 4,000 people, mostly belonging to Meknik area could not vote and now the people in Jaghori and Malistan districts have started to protest. The protesters in these areas have staged a demonstration in the heart of the city to chant slogans against Karzai and his corrupt government. They are saying that despite knowing about the number of voters in these areas, the government deliberately sent less ballet papers to keep Hazara candidates off Afghan Parliament. The Head of the Election Commission had omitted 80 polling centers in these regions despite complete security.
There is report from Kabul that the polling ended in noon in areas like Dasthi Barchi.
On the other hand, when the polling stations were opened this morning in areas of Saraab District, Khawaja Umeri, Nahur and Jaghori, armedmen with Syed Sajjadi and Doctor Shah Jan visited most of these polling centers, threatening the polling staff and forcing the local people to vote for them. At three polling booths of Nahur District, these armedmen got at logger’s head with local people who were given life threats. Syed Sajjadi is a former legal representative of Afghan Parliament who is being supported financially and politically by Iranian government. He has worked for a religious group of Iran, known as Sihap-e-Muhammad (Army of Muhammad) for many years and now he has turned into a rubberstamp of Iranian government to be utilized in Afghanistan.
Translated by: Liaquat Ali Hazara
Hazara People