Mobile registration teams launch work

KANDAHAR CITY (PAN) on Thursday said the voter registration process gained momentum after mobile teams started visits to rural areas of southern Kandahar province.

IEC chief for the province, Najibullah Haqparast, told Pajhwok Afghan News mobile teams had started working in some remote districts of the province, such Arghistan, Dand and Takhta Pul.

He said the teams, protected by Afghan Local Police (ALP) and Afghan National Police (ANP), would be also sent to other far-flung districts of the province where security improved.

He said 80,000 people including 20,000 women had so far received voter cards in Kandahar.

Some Residents confirmed the campaign was proceeding at a greater pace in their areas while others demanded more teams.

Abdul Ghani Muslimyar, the Arghistan district chief, said 500 residents had so far received voter cards. The number will increase with the mobile teams visiting villages.

Mahmood Achakzai, the Takhta Pul district administrative head, said security in 90 percent areas was satisfactory and there would be no problems for IEC teams.

He acknowledged most of residents did not have the facility to travel to the district centre for getting voter cards but mobile teams had paved the ground for resolving the problem.

Fazal Mohammad Ishaqzai, the Panjwai district chief, said security forces had launched a clearing operation to address security concerns before the mobile teams started work there.

He called the process effective and said around 7,000 residents had so far received voter cards.

But residents of some districts demanded an increase in mobile teams. A dweller of Dand district, Mohammad Zaman, believed the current number was not enough, considering the district’s population.

He added the previous registration centre in the district had stopped its activity, forcing people to travel to remote areas.

“We don’t want registration centres to stop work in district centres; we want more mobile teams so the process continues in both rural areas and the district centres.”

But IEC officials said currently they did not have the facilities to create more registration centres; the current ones would also form mobile teams.

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