Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) Weekly Election Coverage Newsletter, Feb.18-24

on Monday expressed concern over their security. Angiza Shinwari, a member of the Nangarhar provincial council, was seriously injured in a bomb blast in Jalalabad, the provincial capital over a week ago and was shifted to a Kabul for treatment, but died of her wounds at a hospital. Nangarhar female PC members said that they were worried about their security and the government should ensure their protection. The PC has 19 members including 15 of them men while the rests were women. UN urges reforms in poll panels By: MOHAMMAD HAS- Nilofar Aziz, a provincial council member, told Pajhwok SAN KHETTAB ,Date: 2015-02-18 Afghan News: “We are worried about our security and cannot go outside freely after our colleague Angiza KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations special Shinwari was killed.” Aziz demanded the government to representative for on Wednesday stressed for adopt security measures for their protection. transparent parliamentarian elections and urged the Another PC member Habibi Kakar said that female government to further reform the electoral panels. members feared and they would not be able to attend Nicholas Haysom, UN special representative for meetings and conferences due to insecurity. Afghanistan, told journalists in Kabul electoral reforms Humaira Rafi, another PC member said the government were part of the agreement among the unity government should deploy security guards for their protection. She leaders. “We and the people of Afghanistan want elections added that even female workers faced with great threat free of rigging and fraud,” he said, adding the UN was after the assassination of Shinwari. waiting for leaders to act upon their pledges. Nangarhar PC secretary Ajmal Omar said the government The parliamentarian elections are due a year from now and should deploy more security guards for the protection of the UN representative said his organization was keen to PC members. cooperate with the Afghan government in conducting free and fair ballot. It has been five months since the unity government has been formed, but there has been no tangible progress in creating the reform commissions that agreed upon by the government leaders. Earlier, President Ashraf Ghani directed his 2nd Vice-President to work in consultation with election bodies, civil society members and political parties to identify essential areas for reforms in electoral panels.

Nangarhar female PC members want enhanced security By: PAJHWOK REPORTER ,Date: 2015-02-23

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): After losing a colleague to a bomb attack, female provincial council members of Muslimyar urges govt to arrest Angiza’s killers eastern Nangarhar province By: PAJHWOK REPORTER ,Date: 2015-02-18 http://www.pajhwok.com Page 1 http://www.elections.pajhwok.com/www.vote.af

Pajhwok Afghan News Election Coverage Newsletter

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Senate Chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar on Wednesday asked the government to investigate the bomb attack on Angiza Shinwari and arrest the perpetrators. Shinwari was seriously injured in a bomb blast in Jalalabad, the provincial capital about more than a week ago and was shifted to a Kabul hospital for treatment, but died of her wounds after a surgery.

Her driver, the son of her sister, was instantly killed in the blast that injured four high school students. Karzai alleges US deceiving Afghanistan By: AHMAD The provincial council office on Wednesday held a QURESHI ,Date: 2015-02-22 memorial service for the slain provincial council member in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. The Fateha was KABUL (Pajhwok): Former president on attended by provincial council members, government Sunday accused the United States of deceiving Afghanistan officials and local residents. Speaking on the occasion, saying that after securing its military bases in Afghanistan Muslimyar said Shinwari’s death was a great loss to the it stopped fighting the militants. community she served and urged the government to The former president expressed these views at a seminar seriously investigate the attack on her. titled: “Tradition of Non-Violence in the Region; Mahatma “Angiza Shinwari was people’s beloved representative. Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan – the two leading She was serving the people of Nangarhar for a second flag bearers of non violence”, conducted by Rana Think term. We are saddened by her demise and call on the Tank in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Kabul. government to identify and arrest the perpetrators.” The seminar was also attended by Chief Executive Officer A member of the provincial council, Dr. Nasir Kamawal, (CEO) , former national security said Angiza Shinwari as an active public representative advisor, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, and other dignitaries from and people were very upset over her death. “The govern- India and Pakistan. Karzai blasted the American and ment should conduct a serious investigation into the Pakistani policies towards fighting extremism in the region. incident.” Shinwari’s uncle Eng. Daud also spoke on the “Pakistan with the help of US used extremists against the occasion and said his niece was an active public Soviet Union and then used it against Afghanistan and representative and all her efforts were in the service of India in the region.” “We waged Jihad and liberated our people. He thanked her colleagues, Nangarhar officials country. The benefits went to the US that became the sole and Muslimyar for assisting them in treatment of superpower, became unified, Europe expanded, Shinwari. He said nothing about someone’s possible hand Pakistan became an atomic power with a strong army, but in the murder. Earlier, Nangarhar police chief Brig. Gen. Afghanistan is the country that suffered only,” the Fazl Ahmad Sherzad had told Pajhwok Afghan News that outspoken Karzai added. After the Soviet’s defeat, the US police were investigating the bomb attack on Angiza abandoned Afghanistan to Pakistan as a result Afghanistan Shinwari. lost its army and government structure. “After 9/11, the trend continued and nobody listened to us. He had said police had prevented many similar incidents Finally Musharraf (former Pakistani dictator) admitted and would continue to try to avert such happenings. himself it was Pakistan behind the destruction of Afghanistan.” Karzai said he had also repeatedly warned Pakistan’s officials to stop using extremism

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Pajhwok Afghan News Election Coverage Newsletter as a foreign policy tool and to not bomb innocent families in Waziristan, Dir and Bajawar tribal region. He was of the opinion that using force would breed more extremism and the menace needed political solutions. He called on Afghan Taliban once again to join the country’s peace process. Abdullah Abdullah stressed that peace was need of the hour, but insisted that the process should be transparent and carried forward with the consultation Afghans.

Ghani, Karzai condole Shinwari demise By: PAJHWOK REPORTER ,Date: 2015-02-23

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and former President Hamid Karzai on Monday offered their condolences to the family and people of eastern Nangarhar province over the demise of Angiza Shinwari who succumbed to injuries some days back. A statement from Presidential Palace said both the leaders arrived at the Eidgah Masjid in the capital Kabul this Afghans support peace talks with Taliban: Survey afternoon to attend prayer ceremony for late Angiza. By: PAJHWOK TEAM ,Date: 2015-02-23 Angiza Shinwari, former provincial council member, was seriously wounded in an explosion and succumbed to her KABUL (Pajhwok): Majority of people across Afghanistan welcomed peace parleys with Taliban but a injuries in a hospital in Kabul.Former president Hamid handful of people opposed the overture because they Karzai also offered condolences to the family and relatives doubted Pakistan’s role in the process, a survey said. of late Shinwari. The demise of Shinwari created sense of The survey conducted by Pajhwok Afghan News interviewed 100 people including 25 women from all 34 insecurity among other provincial council members and provinces. After formation of the unity government they demanded the government to take necessary measures bilateral relations with the neighboring Pakistan has for their protection. flourished and was termed “miraculous” by Pakistan’s interior minister. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s government has praised Pakistan’s efforts in Afghanistan’s peace process and said the time was ripe for talks to commence. Based on reports a representative of Taliban is in Islamabad for pre talks. Taliban, however, has not yet formally commented on the issue. Seventy of the interviewees in the survey has sternly supported these talks but has laid down several conditions. Securing the country’s national interest, giving priority to women’s rights and building upon the achievements of the last 14 year have been cited as the main condition.Some of the interviewees have also urged the government to be cautious in dealing with Pakistan. Twenty of the interviewees expressed opposition to the talks because of Pakistan’s involvement and that Taliban were not the only Access to information law be amended: Journalists threat, but Daesh was also taking a foothold in the country By: ABASIN ZAHEER ,Date: 2015-02-19

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Pajhwok Afghan News Election Coverage Newsletter

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some civil society organizations and media-men on Thursday demanded the president to help amend the relevant law to make access easy to information. The access to information law comprised six chapters and 32 articles was ratified by the Wolesi Jirga and approved by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani this year.

Sayyed Akram Afzali, head of the Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), said the access to information law Abdullah hints peace parlays to resume soon was one of the weakest laws as it ranked 66th among 100 By: MOHAMMAD HASSAN KHETTAB ,Date: 2015-02- international laws of similar nature. In addition, he said 150 privileges had been mentioned in KABUL (Pajhwok): Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. the law while the government provided 77 only. He Abdullah Abdullah on Monday hinted peace talks with dubbed the complaints investigation mechanism Taliban would begin soon by keeping in view national inappropriate, adding that under such mechanism interests supreme. Talking to council of ministers, complaints could not be addressed properly. Abdullah assured nation national interests would not be Afzali said IWA in collaboration with Pajhwok Afghan damaged in the peace process. The nation would be kept News (PAN), Killid Group, Internews, the Afghanistan onboard with regard of any progress in the negotiations Independent Journalist Association (AIJA), Association process, he said, adding that no deal would be inked behind for Disables, and experts of law had prepared a new draft the scene. “Every Afghan wants peace and stability and we regarding access to information. In the new draft, an are optimistic this peace will end up in the stability of independent and natural commission had to be assigned Afghanistan,” the CEO hoped. the task to investigate complaints, he added. “We thank the Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif He demanded the president should fulfill his pledges and who came to Afghanistan and reiterated that terrorists are issue a legislative decree to further ensure access to the enemies of both Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he added. information law. Speaking on the occasion, Danish Last week, some media reports said that Taliban and Karokhel, director Pajhwok Afghan News, said that civil American officials had started peace talks in Qatar, but the society organizations and media outlets had worked for insurgent group rejected those reports. six years and finally introduced a draft regarding access to information. He lamented after its ratification and approval: “Access to the meetings of provincial complaint commission is a great problem for us that’s why the current law has multiple problems which need to be addressed.”

Karokhel said purpose of the new draft was aimed at making journalists and common people access easy to information.

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