Jawzjan: Displaced families yet to be registered as voters

SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): Displaced people from the Qosh Tepa district of northern Jawzjan province have warned of staging protests if they are left out of the voter registration process.

Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials in Jawzjan say inhabitants of Qosh Tepa had left their homes for security reasons and shifting voter registration centres was against IEC strategy.

Tawakal, a resident of Khat-i-Sai village, said: “Around 4,000 families live in the Regi Pipeline area on the outskirts of Shiberghan. We have asked the IEC to establish a registration facility in this area.”

He alleged the local government had not responded to their demand and the IEC ad also failed to satisfy them. “If the situation remains unchanged, thousands of enraged people will march on the governor’s office and shut its gates.”

Ghulam, another resident of the same locality, said dwellers of ten villages western of Shiberghan were deprived of the registration facility.

He added in every polling station people come together, informed the officials of their problems but there was no one to address the issues.

“We and our children are deprived of school, mosque, water and other basic facilities. Who would finally resolve our problems?” he questioned.

But Amanullah Habibi, head of local IEC office, said due to security reasons seven registration centres could not be opened in Qosh Tepa.

“Displaced persons have convoyed their problems to IEC but currently the opening of a registration centre is not possible,” he added.

“We have shared the problems of displaced people with the IEC head office. In line with IEC principles, registration centres could not be shifted from insecure areas to other places,” said Habibi.

nh/mud