SAR-I-PUL (Pajhwok): Sixteen polling stations facing a high security threat have been secured in northern Sar-i-Pul province, the governor claimed on Sunday.
Abdul Jabbar Haqbin said security for the election sites had been ensured with people’s cooperation, but necessary materials were yet to be dispatched to the areas.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News the number of polling stations facing a high security threat in the provincial capital and Kohistanat district had come down from 32 to 16.
He asked the Independent Election Commission to dispatch electoral materials to the sites in time to pave ground for people casting their votes on April 5.
Abdul Rahman Farid, the IEC provincial office head, confirmed security for 16 polling stations. They had shared the issue with the headquarters in Kabul but a decision on whether to open the sites was still awaited, he explained.
Electoral materials have been sent to Kohistanat and Balkhab districts and based on previous preparations, 111 polling centers are supposed to be opened.
Recently MP Sayed Anwar Sadat complained that 25 percent of people would be deprived of casting their votes for security reasons and another 25 percent due to a shortage of electoral materials.
ra/mud
