QUETTA, Oct 6: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has registered 320,000 male and female Afghan refugees as voters in Balochistan during a four-day campaign.
They would cast their vote in the Afghan presidential election on Oct 9.
The Director of IOM for Balochistan, Mr Richard Atwood, said this while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday after the completion of registration drive in refugee camps and urban areas of Quetta.
"The registered Afghan voters in Balochistan include 29 per cent Afghan women," he said, adding that the IOM staff had registered 740,000 Afghans throughout the country. Women accounted for 28 per cent of this total.
Giving a breakdown of registered Afghan voters in Balochistan, he said that in Quetta's urban areas the registered persons totalled 210,000 while in the city's rural areas, including Pishin, Qila Abdullah and Loralai, 85,000 refugees registered themselves as voters. In Dalbandin, a total of 25,000 Afghans got themselves enrolled.
He expressed his happiness that a big number of Afghans had registered themselves in Balochistan despite threats hurled by the Taliban. "The registration of refugees in Balochistan is beyond our expectations," Mr Atwood remarked, adding that it showed the interest of Afghans in their country's presidential elections.
"I am confident the registered voters would turn up in strength for casting their vote," he added. He said the campaign was to span three days but later it was extended for one more day. That was a right decision because 175,000 more Afghans registered themselves on the final day.
