‘Indelible ink’ faded on first wash: Voters

KABUL) about curbing bogus voting through “indelible ink” fell flat on Saturday when many residents claimed the ink faded on the very first wash.

Inferior quality ink was used at three polling sites in Kabul. Qaribullah, who cast his vote at the Bibi Mehro Mosque polling centre, told Pajhwok Afghan News after 10 minutes, he washed his hands and there was no sign of colour on his finger.

Eng. Faiz Mohammad, another voter, confirmed the ink was removed from his finger easily on the first wash. “I voted at 8am. When I washed my hands, my finger was cleaned. I shared the issue with election officials, but they said your finger will turn black later.”

But no black stain appeared on his finger and no one could prove that he had already voted. “If someone wants to repeatedly vote, the can,” Faiz Mohammad said.

Hazrat Azizyar, another voter whose finger was cleaned after hand wash, said the problem could lead to rigging. No one at the relevant polling stations answered calls seeking comments in this regard.

Earlier in the day, IEC chairman Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani told a press conference they had received some complaints about the lasting power of the indelible ink.

However, after an investigation, he said, none of the complaints could be proven. With the passage of time, the ink applied to fingers would become darker, he said.

ra/ma

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