Afghan senators call for ensuring election security

Expressing concern over the current security situation in Afghanistan, members of Mushrano Jirga or Upper House of Afghan parliament called for effective measures to ensure the security for the upcoming presidential and provincial councils' elections scheduled for April 5, local newspapers reported Wednesday. "Afghan security forces should device election security plans right now. The elections must also be transparent and inclusive," a senator from western Farah province, Gul Ahmad Azimi said in the Upper House session on Tuesday, according to the English Daily Outlook. Quoting another senator, Khaliqdad Balaghi, the paper added, " None of the candidates can meet people without fear to inform them of their election manifestos," saying the security officials should brief the parliament on their election security strategy as soon as possible. Meantime, officials with the Interior and defense ministries have assured full security for the coming elections according to local media reports. Taliban militants fighting the government have termed the elections as "waste of time" and vowed to disrupt the process. Meantime, Senate chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar has accused security forces of making exaggerated claims about ensuring security for the elections, another newspaper the Daily Afghanistan reported. Citing Muslimyar, the newspaper said that "security forces should be pressurized to measure up to the security challenges." The Daily Wahdat also writes in its edition that Deputy Interior Minister, Mohammad Ayub Salangi said Tuesday that the election security report would be released within two days. The security organs were supposed to submit the security report to the country's election body the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Jan. 5, but the submission has been delayed due to bad weather and technical problems, Salangi said.