Eye on the News [email protected] Truthful, Factual and Unbiased Vol:XIV Issue No:201 Price: Afs.20 www.facebook.com/ afghanistantimes www.twitter.com/ afghanistantimes MONDAY . FEBRUARY 17. 2020 - Dalwa 28, 1398 HS www.afghanistantimes.af devoted supporter of the presidential candi date Abdullah Abdullah, Hezb-i-Wahdat Islami Party led by Karim Khalili has announced plans to form a paral- lel government if final results of the presidential election would give lead to frontrunner Ashraf Ghani. Preliminary results an- nounced in December showed that Ashraf Ghani won the Septem- ber 28 presidential election, but his rival Abdullah Abdullah im- mediately rejected the outcome, saying the vote was marred by widespread fraud. Abdullah’s an- other running mate and the incum- bent first vice president, General Dustom, also announced plans for a parallel state if election results are riddled with... esidents and provincial council mem The United States Special Rep- on Twitter that he had met with bers in the western provinces of Farah resentative for Afghanistan’s Rec- President Ashraf Ghani in Munich and Badghis are demanding that atten onciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, on Friday and held a series of meet- tion be paid to civilian casualties from tweeted updates about progress ings with leaders and representa- air raids and said that children and women have in the peace process, noting the tives from different countries. been killed in airstrikes recently. A watchdog reduction in violence agreement Khalilzad also mentioned a “pro- group in Herat has called for an end of the between the US and Taliban, but longed and fruitful” trip to Doha strikes, and for those responsible for civilian stressed that “success cannot be before attending the Munich Se- casualties to be brought to justice. Members of guaranteed.” Khalilzad reported curity... the provincial council of ... MONDAY . FEBRUARY, 17, 2020 AFGHANISTAN TIMES Is peace in A fghanist an on t he Poll Result s W ill be A nnounced horizon? The peace W it hin Nex t Tw o Days: IEC process ex amined Afghanistan has been rocked by a prolonged war for more than 18 years. The warring parties are currently mired in a perennial stale- The Independent Election Com- few days and we have worked on parent votes, all the disputed the process was boycotted by sults.” “They should have re- mate with both sides failing to make sustainable territorial gains. With mission (IEC) has started the au- it and finally, today, we officially votes will be validated, but if 35% Chief Executive Abdullah Abdul- quired coordination based on U.S. anti-war sentiment on the rise and deals-seeking Trump at the dit of disputed votes and will an- started implementing them, both of the votes do not complete the lah’s Stability and Convergence their duties,” said Nasir Nasir helm of the White House, an unprecedented initiative to start direct nounce the final results of the in the center and in provinces of measure, all the disputed votes campaign team. Zada, member of the Free and talks with the Taliban in the hope of securing a peace deal was launched September presidential elections Afghanistan,” IEC chairperson will be recounted – once again. “We have continued the pro- Fair Election Foundation of Af- in September 2018. The talks have now hit 11 rounds but the process within the next two days, the dep- Hawa Alam Nuristani said. “We match the number of cess up until now, and if the voice ghanistan. Meanwhile, the IEC has been on-and-off due to intensifying violence for which the Tali- uty of the commission said. “It will not take more time. the center and a local code with of right is heard otherwise, we will started the recount of votes in ban is largely responsible. Washington's latest re-engagement with The process was delayed for We will complete our work within the database,” said Sayedullah, an withdraw from the process,” said 298 polling stations from which the Taliban only started in December, a month after Trump decided three days because of a protest one or two days, and we will an- IEC official. “Then we check the Fazl Ahmad Manawi, technical biometric information was lost, to pump the breaks for a moment because of Taliban attacks on U.S. from Chief Executive Abdullah nounce the final results,” said Es- biometric information… and we head of Abdullah’s campaign. “In in nine provinces. Moreover, the assets in Afghanistan. Although the protracted negotiations have yet Abdullah’s campaign team. matullah Mal, the IEC deputy register it here.” that case, they can announce the commission claims to have com- to produce tangible results, a glimmer of hope has resurfaced when “The decisions of the Inde- chief. According to the special au- President Ghani’s campaign result and it will be evident to the pleted the audit of disputed U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Saturday confirmed that pendent Electoral Complaints dit, if 65% of the disputed votes team, State Builder, approved the people, and we will see from votes in Ghazni, Helmand and the U.S. has reached a "reduction in violence" agreement with the Commission reached us in the past meet the characteristics of trans- audit of the disputed votes, but whom they will accept the re- Sar-e-Pul provinces. Taliban. ‘Rigged election results NATO Envoy: not acceptable’ Afghans Need PTMchief Pashteen granted bail byKP court To Benefit PESHAWAR: A court in Khyber Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has ordered the release of the Pashtun ...P1 fraud. Threats to form a announced earlier this week that Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief. Struggling for Pakhtuns’ rights, Manzoor Pashteen had been detained last month on charges of sedition, parallel government marks an es- fraud-mired election results won’t From Reduction hate speech, incitement against the state and criminal conspiracy. Saeed Akhtar, a lawyer for the PTM chief, told AFP the sessions’ court in calation of tension amid fears that be acceptable and that his camp Tank district granted him bail on Saturday against surety bonds of one hundred thousand rupees. He hoped Pashteen would be freed from jail deadlock over fraud allegations will stand against fraudulent gov- In Violence immediately. could send the country into a vi- ernment. Fazl Ahmad Manawi, a olent spiral – a scenario that once senior member of Abdullah’s ...P12 The majority of vio- happened in the controversial camp, said the election commis- lence and enemy-initiated attacks 2014 race for presidency that gave sion was not even doing the bare at the moment are against Afghan Security forces arrest Taliban ‘logistics’official in Logar birth the government of national minimum the complaints panel has targets, government forces, and ...P12 government has recently pinned reliance on its special forces’ operations, however there are great concerns by the human rights unity through a disconcerting told it to, “and even baulking at Afghan civilians. And it’s impor- watchdogs about the highly surge in civilian casualties during these operations. American intervention. our exhortations and reserva- tant in a reduction in violence that In a statement, Karim Khalili tions”. the Afghans see that reducing sig- said, “If election authority an- This is as the election com- nificantly. Gunmen open fire on drug addicts in Kabul, killing nine nounces a flawed government mission has begun a recount of RFE/RL: You know that in having emerged from fraud, we contested ballots. Manawi be- the long conflict in Afghanistan will have to announce a national lieves that their camp has played Afghan civilians have been hard- ...P12 have been shifted to the forensic and that investigations are underway to find the perpetrators. Earlier, there have been reports about government led by Abdullah Ab- by all rules, but it will swerve left hit during years of war. How con- the drug addict’s death due to sever cold weather. There is no fresh statics about the number of addicts in Afghanistan but it has been said that dullah – in deference to people’s and use any means possible to re- cerned are you about civilian ca- there are over five million people. will and valid votes.” verse the flawed outcome of elec- sualties in Afghanistan? This is as Abdullah himself tion. Kay: Very concerned. The death toll for civilians in the last year was one of the highest ever Saleh melting under criticism over Munich trip Khalilzad calls for collective... and unacceptable. Any civilian casualty is a tragedy. Certainly, ...P12 notorious Anas Haqqani and several other instances. In defense, the presidential palace has argued that Saleh being a prominent ...P1 Conference. During a meet- It looks very promising. We have NATO in its train, advise, and politician can attend those crucial meetings. University lecturer, Wadir Safi, believes that the president should not be accompanied by ing with President Ghani, Kha- now been for a few days now in assist mission gives every advice him running mate and that if it happens, the president should explain the reason. “The president has no right to take any person lilzad said the two “spoke about the process of consulting, first possible to the Afghan forces on with him in his official overseas trips,” he said. the opportunity of this reduction with our congress--I have had how to avoid and minimize civil- in violence and the imperative of many conversations--and then, ian casualties, and that’s because preparing for an inclusive Afghan secondly—concurrently--with our NATO is not a combat mission. peace process.” NATO allies in Brussels.” We are not fighting, we are train- Kabul, Taliban urged to show flexibility for peace “We urge all Afghans to seize He added: “I think there is gen- ing the Afghan forces, and part the moment and end the misery eral agreement--and it is my view of the training is to avoid civilian st of more than four decades of war,” as well--that we have to give peace casualties.