GARDEZ (PAN): Tribal elders and civil society activists on Tuesday asked the government to establish more voter registration centers in southeastern Paktia province.
They also called on security organs to ensure elaborate security measures were taken around polling stations.
Speaking at a press conference, Janat Khan Mangal, a tribal elder, said only one voter registration centre had been established in each district.
He asked the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to establish more such centres in districts, saying there were remote areas where residents had to walk for hours to reach the district centre.
He warned if more voter registration centres were not established, many people, particularly women, would not be able to vote in the upcoming elections.
Mangal said people in remote areas needed awareness about when and where to get voter cards.
Ukhton Cultural Committee head Dr. Naeem Ahmadzai urged security institutions to maintain security for polling stations in coordination with IEC’s local office.
He said there were some areas in remote districts where security environment was getting worse due to round the clock activities of insurgents.
He said residents of these areas would not be able to cast their votes if security was not improved for them.
Dr. Sher Ali Faizi, IEC’s public awareness programme chief for Paktia, said they had handed over a list of 207 polling stations to security organs in order to ensure security for them.
He said people showed little interest in the registration drive, but hoped it would gain momentum soon.
mrh/ma