Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Shun Fuelling Electoral Tensions, MPs Asked

Shun Fuelling Electoral Tensions, MPs Asked

KABUL - Some Wolesi Jirga (lower house) members on Monday urged their colleagues to focus on issues of national importance instead of fueling electoral tensions in the house.

Kabul representative Gen. Nazifa Zaki said: “Don’t speak on election-related problems in the house. Let the issue be resolved by the electoral commissions, the president, his deputies and the UN.”

Her colleague from Maidan Wardak province, Ghulam Hussain Nasiri, urged the people and lawmakers to exercise patience. He said Pakistan could take advantage of the problems. But he gave no further details.

Dressed as Afghan civilians, the Pakistan Army personnel entered border areas of the country to foment violence, he claimed. Nasiri alleged some elements in and outside the country were trying to sabotage achievements of the past 13 years.

Other legislators, Nahid Farid, Nimsa Niazi and Mohammad Akbari urged the teams of both candidates to avoid trading insults.  They said the runners and voters should avoid prejudicing the process, urging the electoral bodies to release partial results.

Stressing respect for people’s ballots, the lawmakers explained genuine votes should be separated from fake ones.

Hamidullah Tokhi, a legislator from Zabul province, acknowledged there had been fraud in the electoral process. But reviewing the problem was not the assembly’s responsibility, he explained.

But Allah Gul Mujahid accused the election commission of committing widespread rigging. “Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah are unaware of that fraud.”

“If these problems are not resolved, you (MPs) will land in similar trouble during the parliamentary polls next year,” he warned.

Speaker Abdur Rauf Ibrahimi said: “The MPs have neither committed fraud nor connived at it.” He asked members to focus on how to stabilise the country. He also called upon the election bodies to keep the process transparent. (Pajhwok)