KABUL - The National Coalition on Thursday voiced concern at the current political situation in the country, accusing the government of trying to postpone the presidential vote and bring the Taliban back into power.
Mohammad Yunus Qanuni, a senior member of the coalition, told a youth conference in Kabul that the country was going through a dangerous phase and the situation could worsen further over the next two years.

Criticising the government, the parliamentarian alleged the rulers wanted to postpone the 2014 ballot by perpetuating the crisis. The former Wolesi Jirga speaker said: "The question is: Will the government conduct a fair vote?"

He said no guarantee had so far been provided that the presidential election would be transparent. Qanuni believed the current crisis concerned the Karzai administration's legacy of poor governance.
Instead of making efforts to preserve the progress made so far in diverse fields of life, the politician said the government was hell-bent on turning the clock back.

Qanuni blasted the government for frittering away a full decade of opportunities to improve living standards for the countrymen and clinging to its wrong policies.
But the Independent Election Commission head, Fazal Ahmad Manawi, accompanied by other members of the panel, told the gathering a comprehensive plan for next five years would be submitted soon to the Presidential Palace.

"As the nation is deeply concerned about the likelihood of Taliban coming back to power, some people are using their sophistry to hide the reality -- something that amounts to betraying the nation," Qanuni remarked.
Another legislator and member of the coalition, Syed Ali Kazimi, assailed President Karzai for trying to pave the ground for his re-election.

Also present on the occasion was the coalition head, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who said the youth made up a huge portion of the county's population, but the government had neglected them. He claimed the government had lost its credibility among the masses.

He lamented the youth were jobless and their rights being violated. The rulers had no policy to address their concerns, the ex-foreign minister said. More than 1,000 youth from different provinces attended the conference. (Pajhwok)