KABUL: As part of a move to minimize fraud, and meeting a key demand of the opposition alliance, Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Saturday said it will use biometric technology during next month’s parliamentary election.
The move comes days after the closure of several IEC offices in major cities by loyalists of the Grand National Coalition of Afghanistan (GNCA), which raised further skepticism about the government’s ability to hold the long-delayed election amid a rise in militant attacks and ethnic tensions.
The parliamentary election will be followed by a presidential one in April in which President Ashraf Ghani will stand.
Past foreign-funded elections convened since the Taliban’s ouster in 2001 were mired by allegations of fraud.
The GNCA, which includes former and current key officials in Ghani’s government, said the use of biometric technology blocks voters from voting multiple times.
Hafizullah Hashimi, a commissioner at the IEC, said the government has bought biometric technology from a German firm.
The equipment will arrive in early October, and will be placed in 21,000 sites ahead of voting day, he added.
“It’s easy to use and to train people,” he told Arab News. “It can work offline or online, and can pass data directly to the IEC data center.”
Mohammad Nateqi, a senior member of the GNCA, told Arab News that the biometric system “brings transparency,” adding: “This is a good thing and we welcome it.”
The GNCA hopes to have a trilateral meeting with the government and the firm that will put in place the biometric technology, he said.
Habibullah Shinwari, a senior member of the Election and Transparency Watch Organization of Afghanistan (ETWA), expressed doubt that the government and the IEC will be able to put the equipment in place in time for the election.
“Logically and technically it isn’t possible. This is only aimed at calming down the opposition to reopen the (IEC) offices it closed,” he told Arab News.
Biometric technology to be used in Afghan election
Biometric technology to be used in Afghan election
In solidarity with Middle East, Pakistan to mark upcoming National Day with simplicity
- On March 23, Pakistanis commemorate adoption of the 1940 resolution that demanded separate homeland for Muslims of the Sub-continent
- Islamabad hopes dialogue and diplomacy will prevail, peace will soon return to the entire region and beyond, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will observe its National Day on March 23 will simplicity this year, the country’s deputy prime minister said on Thursday, referring to an ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Pakistan’s subsequent austerity measures.
On March 23 each year, Pakistanis commemorate the adoption of the historical Pakistan Resolution at the 27th annual meeting of the All-India Muslim League, through which Muslims of the Sub-continent demanded a separate homeland for themselves in 1940.
But this year, the day comes at a time of a raging conflict in the Middle East, where United States and Israel have been pounding Iran since Feb. 28, while Tehran has launched counterattacks against US bases in Gulf countries as well as commercial and oil infrastructure. The crisis has impacted Pakistan among several countries.
In a post on X, Pakistani Deputy PM Ishaq Dar said this year’s National Day would be observed with simplicity at all Pakistani missions abroad and will be limited to the traditional flag-hoisting ceremony only.
“In the light of Prime Minister’s announced austerity measures, and as a mark of solidarity with the countries and peoples of the Middle East and the wider region affected by the ongoing conflict and the tragic loss of innocent lives, National Day receptions will not be held this year,” he said.
The ongoing conflict has disrupted global oil supply, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit chokepoint between Iran and Oman, with oil prices surging past $100.
This week, PM Shehbaz Sharif announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures came in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the Middle East conflict.
“Pakistan hopes that dialogue and diplomacy will prevail, and that peace, stability and prosperity will soon return to the entire region and beyond,” Dar added.
