Afghanistan is getting ready for a second-round presidential election between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, after a fraud investigation brought Mr. Karzai's totals to below 50 percent.
The United Nations has begun delivering ballots across Afghanistan to prepare for the November 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
The second round comes after the election commission nullified nearly one million votes cast in August presidential polls. The investigation brought Mr. Karzai's vote count below 50 percent, enough to trigger a runoff.
President Barack Obama has said the runoff reflects the will of the Afghan people and he may withhold his decision on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan until after the new polls.
The remarks followed his meeting with Senator John Kerry, who has just returned from the Afghan capital, Kabul.
"I think you really want to know that this has worked and you want to know what kind of government is coming out of it," he said.
An analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, Haseeb Humayoon, says Mr. Karzai may win again.
Haseeb Humayoon
"If we look at the numbers and how they have turned out, President Karzai has a much stronger base than D! r. Abdul lah Abdullah and that may play a role in the second round as well," he explained.
But questions remain about the deals Mr. Karzai struck with local powers of remote Afghan regions to win their support.
"I think one has to look at that with a lot of caution, because while electorally those deals might have returns, in terms of government efficiency down the line they are questionable," he added.
"President Karzai has been very aggressive in trying to cut deals and trying to build partnerships," he noted. "But given the circumstances in which he is trying to operate, if he can cut deals with rival factions and it results in a stable Afghanistan, that is something we may want to support."
Another scenario presented by some experts is one in which the August election runner up, Mr. Abdullah, wins this time around. Nelson says he may not belong to the Pashtun majority tribe, but he is not that different politically than Mr. Karzai.
"Obviously, he is not a full Pashtun, he is a little bit Tajik as well, and that may change the dynamics with the United States," Mr. Nelson added. "But it probably is not going to change the overall U.S. policy too much."
There is also the chance that the two contenders will come up with some sort of an agreement to share power and avoid the runoff. While some analysts say this is unlikely, Nelson is optimistic.
"If there is a unity government in advance, it certainly puts the whole election legitima! cy quest ion aside, and will enable the United States and NATO to move forward in their partnership with Afghanistan," he said.
In Washington, U.S. officials have said a power-sharing arrangement between the two leaders would be totally up to the Afghans.
Pakistan's military says an anti-Taliban ground assault backed by air support is progressing well in the mountainous region near the Afghan border. Officials say that at least 78 insurgents and nine soldiers have died since the offensive was launched on Saturday. The fighting is taking place as U.S Central Command Chief David Peraeus and Senator John Kerry held talks with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad.
A Pakistani tribal family who fled from South Waziristan due to military offensive against al-Qaida activists and Taliban militants, Waziristan, Monday, 19 Oct. 2009
Pakistani authorities say the "decisive military" offensive is targeting insurgents in the South Waziristan tribal region where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have set up terrorist training facilities for staging attacks in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.
Army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas says security forces have killed dozens of militants since the army launched its offensive on Saturday. The spokesman told a news conference Monday that troops have seized control of several key mountain tops and cleared villages.
"They had installed the anti-aircraft guns on top of the hill features, which were knocked out. So they were all prepared for defending the area (but) it is good tactics on our part that all those crucial weapon systems were k! nocked o ut in the first go so that had collapsed their defense and therefore they have vacated the area," Abbas said.
He says the area where militant leaders are based is under siege and there is almost no possibility of anyone escaping. But the spokesman would not set a timeframe for the military offensive to end.
"We are very confident that we have sufficient number of forces and we have adequate weaponry, arms and ammunition required for this operation. We are very confident that within these resources we will be able to complete the operation within the stipulated time," Abbas said.
Pakistani army commanders say some 30,000 troops are battling an estimated 10,000 fighters in the region, including foreigners. Authorities blame these extremists for 80 percent of the suicide attacks that have hit the country in recent years, killing hundreds of people.
The fighting comes as head of U.S Central Command David Petraeus met with Pakistani civilian and military leadership on Monday to discuss the ongoing anti-insurgency offensive.
The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, John Kerry, also held talks with Pakistani leaders in his bid to ease tensions over a $7.5 billion aid package for Islamabad. Opposition parties and military leaders have criticized some of the provisions in the U.S legislation they say undermine the country's sovereignty. Senator Kerry is a co-sponsor of the bill under which Pakistan will receive $1.5 billion for the next five years for economic and social programs. In his talks with Pakistani officials, the U.S Senator reiterated that Pakistani concerns over the bill are unfounded and it is meant to strengthen bilateral ties.
Tens of thousands of residents have already fled the South Waziristan region to take refuge in safer areas even before the fighting started. U.N and Pakistani officials say the number of displaced families could go over 200,000 but they are ready to deal with the possible humanitarian crisis.
The anti-! insurgen cy military offensive follows a series of deadly suicide bombings across Pakistan that killed more than 150 people. Of the nine terror attacks this month, seven have targeted the country's security establishment, including the audacious assault on the army headquarters that left more than two dozen people dead including nine attackers.
Patent Translation Services
-
*Application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)*
The PCT is an international agreement between 117 countries to provide an
easier patent filling ...
Harmful Anesthesia Errors
-
Patients undergoing surgery are administered anesthesia so that they are
unconscious during their procedures. Without anesthesia, surgery would be
impos...
