Efforts ongoing for release of election workers

CHARIKAR) employees who were abducted on election day in central Parwan province.

Provincial authorities said the Taliban kidnapped eight IEC workers in the Namak Aab area of Shinwari district on Saturday evening.

Some sources said 12 to 17 individuals were abducted, including election workers and observers of the commission and electoral teams.

Qazi Aku Gul Ahmadi, the district’s administrative chief, said: “The Taliban abducted eight employees of IEC, but there was no observer among the victims. The eight workers had been kidnapped on their way home at 6:00pm.”

He said the votes cast at the Namak Aab polling centre had been transferred to Charikar, the provincial capital.

The district chief added tribal elders had met Taliban for mediation and the militants had promised to release the IEC workers, but no one had been freed so far.

About 30 elders have once again met the Taliban to negotiate the release of the eight individuals, according to the official.

Abdul Qahar Wahab, the IEC provincial director, confirmed seven workers of the panel and an employee of IECC had been abducted by Taliban.

“I don’t know the exact number. Some say 18 individuals have been kidnapped while others have put the number at 12. I’m unaware of the exact figure,” he said.

He also said elders were trying to secure the release of the individuals in rebels’ custody.

Wahida Shahkar, the governor’s spokesperson, also verified the abduction of eight employees of IEC in Shinwari district.

Yousuf Rashid, head of the Free, Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), said observers were also among the kidnap victims.

But Rahmatullah, a resident of Namak Aab, told Pajhwok the militants had also seized 10 election observers besides the commission workers. Their fate is unknown so far.

The Taliban, who had vowed to attack election workers and sites, have not yet commented on the abduction of IEC employees.

sa/mud