Afghan Youth Debates: Kandahar Official Pledges Election Day Safety

An official in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar has insisted that it will be safe for people to vote in presidential and provincial elections due on April 5.

Dawakhan Mina Pal, head of the provincial department of the Afghan information and culture ministry, was speaking at a December 8 debate held at Kandahar University.

Students in the audience warned that thousands of voters could be prevented from voting because security was poor in the province. Others argued that stability could deteriorate further if President Hamed Karzai failed to sign an agreement guaranteeing a continued United States military presence beyond 2014, when NATO-led troops are scheduled to withdraw.

Mina Pal denied this was the case, and said enormous efforts had been made to keep voters safe on election day.

“Afghan security forces have undertaken measures to ensure safety on election day," he assured the audience. "The physical presence of the security forces will be tangible."

Some students voiced fears about rumoured restrictions on travel on election day. Any steps to limit vehicle movement would prevent voters from travelling to polling stations from remote districts.

Mina Pal said that he was aware of this matter, and that it had already been raised with officials at the provincial governor's office.

"Cars should not be prevented from travelling on election day," he said, noting that larger vehicles like trucks should be banned to prevent their use by suicide bombers.

Jamil Afghan is a student at Kandahar University and an IWPR trainee.  

This report was produced as part of Open Minds: Speaking Up, Reaching Out – Promoting University and Youth Participation in Afghan Elections, an IWPR initiative funded by the US embassy in Kabul.