Balkh Campaign

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Presidential runner Mohammad Shafiq Gul Agha Sherzai on Sunday urged residents of northern Balkh province to vote for him if they wanted fast-paced progress and development of the country.
Thousands of people attended the public meeting at the Sina Ground in Mazar-i-Sharif and pledged support to Sherzai in the presidential elections, scheduled for April 5.
He questioned how some of his rival contenders would serve the masses if they were elected because they did not perform well when they were previously serving as ministers.

KABUL/MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Thousands of people on Friday pledged support to presidential runners Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf in Balkh and Kabul provinces.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): With the presidential election scheduled for next week, leading candidate Dr. Zalmai Rassoul on Thursday pledged to fight administrative corruption and crackdown on land-grabbers if won the April 5 vote.
His government will seriously work to overcome the challenges of administrative graft and land-grab incidents, Rassoul told thousands of people attending his campaign rally at a stadium in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Presidential runner Hidayat Amin Arsala on Wednesday promised sincere peace negotiations with Taliban if he won the April 5 election.
Addressing hundreds of supporters in Mazar-i-Sharif, Arsala said: “The Afghans need peace and I will launch sincere dialogue with the Taliban in a bid to achieve stability.”
He also referred to widespread corruption in government departments, saying he would introduce good governance and institutional reforms to get rid of the menace.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (APN): Tribal elders from the northern zone met held a traditional assembly in Mazar-i-Sharif to discuss possible problems in the lead-up to next year’s presidential and provincial council elections.
Arranged by the People’s Traditional Reform Jirga, the gathering was attended by elders, influential figures and youth from Balkh, Faryab, Sar-i-Pul and Jawzjan provinces. The participants asked the government to pay due attention to election security.