SHARAN (Pajhwok): Residents of southeastern Paktika province on Wednesday decried recent remarks of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and his first vice-president Eng. Mohammad Khan.
Mohammad Khan and Abdullah had said the number of votes cast in eastern provinces was higher than the number of eligible voters and the results were unacceptable.  
In response, many tribal elders and civil society representatives held a protest gathering, where participants accused Abdullah’s team of trying to push the country into a crisis.
A civil society activist, Yaqub Khan Manzoor, said people had defied threats in exercising their voting right and would defend their ballots at any cost. “We have gone through trouble participating in the process and will defend our votes at the expense our lives.”
One Tribal elder Zmarak Khan urged participants to avoid making provocative remarks. He asked both candidates not to play with the fate of innocent Afghans and respect the sacrifice of those who laid down their lives on June 14.
Another participant of the gathering, Niamatullah Khalid, dismissed the allegation of Abdullah’s team. He said Paktia was sparsely-populated province. The participants warned they would stage protests if the election commissions disrespected people’s vote.
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