MAIDAN SHAHAR (Pajhwok): Thirty-seven polling sites previously considered insecure have been protected as a result of operations by security forces in Maidan Wardak province, local officials said on Sunday.   
Governor Abdul Majid Khogyani told Pajhwok Afghan News they had taken proactive measures to hold fair and transparent elections in the central province. Security had been ensured for all 160 polling sites across the province, he claimed.
Khogyani said: “The previously vulnerable sites are located in Jaghatu and Daimirdad districts, where security operations are presently underway. We are striving to protect these sites from possible threats.”
He added they had held talks with residents, who had held out assurances to help the authorities in maintaining stability in the restive areas. The governor promised transparent polls would be held in Maidan Wardak.
The overall security situation was stable in Maidan Wardak, where requisite election material had been supplied to districts through land routes, he insisted. The Kabul-Kandahar and Kabul-Bamyan highways had also been secured, he said.   
Khogyani said the foundation stone of a university would be laid soon and they would strive to complete its building and inaugurate next year.  
“Construction work on many development schemes is underway. An industrial park project is the biggest of these schemes. Last year, we executed projects worth two billion afghanis,” he concluded.