SHARAN (Pajhwok): Residents of southeastern Paktika province have vowed to defend their votes and will not let anyone push the country into instability.
Tribal elders, Jihadi leaders, youth and commoners expressed the resolve at a gathering in Sharan -- the provincial capital.
Participants of the public gathering asked the electoral commissions to announce the final results of the presidential polls and thereby address public concerns.
Mullah Masoom, a former jihadi commander and the Paktika Tribal Council head, said the brave residents of the province had sacrificed their lives during the past several decades, and would continue to do so, to defend their rights.
The people of Paktika, bordering Pakistan’s tribal region of Waziristan, had put their lives in danger by flocking to polling stations, he recalled.
“Anyone rejecting the election commission decision is violating of law. Those who don’t respect our votes and call them invalid risk fighting against lions,” he remarked.   
No one would be allowed to impose a fraudulent government on them, the ex-jihadi commander said, adding people were running out of patience. The IEC should announce the final results promptly, he reiterated.
Representing youth, Khurshid Aman Katawazai alleged a number of selfish individuals were trying to divide the nation and once pave the ground for a civil strife. For their personnel interests, they were pushing Afghans into trouble, he added,
Katawazi criticised the recent remarks of the Balkh governor about the election results and said: “We are committed to protecting the achievement of past years and don’t want a return to war and past tragedies.”
Mobin Faqirzada, the provincial council head, thanked the residents for supporting their government and the huge turnout on election day. “We want a legitimate government that respects and protects all citizens’ rights...”
ra/mud