Daily Times

Afghan government on Thursday dismissed as propaganda a new statement by the Taliban about disrupting the presidential elections and said security forces are in a state of alert and no one will be allowed to disrupt the polling process.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said that nearly 72,000 security personnel have been deployed across Afghanistan for the security of what he called ‘historic and important’ process.

The Taliban’s military commission on Thursday issued a statement asking the people to boycott what they called as an ‘American process’ and said they intend to disrupt this ‘fake process of the American invaders’..

Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, met Taliban political envoys in Qatar and repeated the United Nations’ call for the Taliban to desist from any activity that will interfere with the elections, particularly with regard to the safety of voters and all other civilians engaged in the election.

But the Taliban’s statement indicates they have ignored the UN appeal and its military commission said it has issued an ultimatum to all those, especially the city dwellers, who intend to participate in this process to stay away from polling stations on the election day and not throw themselves into danger. The statement said all major and minor roads of the country will be closed by the Taliban on the election day, asking the people to refrain from venturing out of their homes on this day so no one is harmed.

Abdul Hakim Mujahid, member of the executive committee of the Afghan government-sponsored high peace council, is confident that elections will lead to the establishment of a stable government in the country. “The new government should give top priority to the negotiations with the Taliban to pave the way for a durable peace,” Mujahid, who has served as the Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan and their envoy to the UN, told Daily Times in Kabul on Thursday.