7 Indian engineers kidnapped in Afghanistan

KHOST: An Afghan wounded man lays on a trolley as others rush him to a hospital following blast at a voter registration centre in Khost Province yesterday. — AFP

KHOST: A blast at a voter registration centre in Afghanistan's restive east yesterday killed or wounded at least 30 people, officials said, capping a bloody week in the war-torn country. The bomb had been placed in a tent being used to register voters on the grounds of a mosque, marking the latest attack on preparations for the long-delayed legislative elections. "A crowd of people who had come out of the mosque had gathered to register" when the blast took place, Khost provincial police chief Abdul Hanan Zadran said.

Zadran said the casualty toll stood at "about 30". But provincial deputy director of public health Gul Mohammad Mangal told AFP at least 12 people had been killed and 33 wounded in the explosion. Mangal warned the toll could rise, with several of the wounded in a critical condition. "Ambulances are still bringing more people," he added. It was the latest attack on election preparations and comes almost a week after 25 people were killed in a double bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Nine journalists including AFP chief photographer Shah Marai were among the dead. BBC reporter Ahmad Shah was killed in a separate attack in Khost province. The latest assault on a voter registration centre is likely to deter more people from signing up for the long-delayed parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for October 20. On April 22 a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration centre in Kabul, killing 60 people and wounding more than 100. That was among a series of attacks across the country on places where people were signing up to vote.

Low turnout fears

The Taleban and IS have made clear their intentions to disrupt the elections. Officials are concerned that a low voter turnout will undermine the credibility of the poll. Just over 1.2 million adults had registered by Saturday, three weeks after the two-month long process began, data compiled by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) showed. The IEC, which is overseeing preparations for the vote, hopes to register up to 14 million adults at more than 7,000 polling centers. But if the current trend were to continue, fewer than three million people would be registered by the mid-June deadline. Authorities have deployed planes to drop leaflets in a number of provinces raising awareness about the elections, which are seen as a test run for next year's presidential poll.

A radio and television campaign is also under way and civil servants have been granted a day off to sign up. The IEC has placed many of the voter registration centers inside schools and mosques, triggering concerns that students and worshippers could be at risk. Another hurdle to voter registration is a sticker placed on national identification certificates showing the holder has signed up for the poll. There are concerns that the stickers could put voters in restive districts at risk of being targeted by Taleban or Islamic State militants.

Engineers kidnapped

In another development, seven Indian engineers and an Afghan national working for a power plant in northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan were kidnapped yesterday, officials said. Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for Baghlan police, said the engineers were travelling to a government-run power station in a minibus when unknown gunmen abducted them and their Afghan driver. Two officials at the Indian embassy in Kabul confirmed the kidnapping of the engineers, all working for the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) that operates power generating stations.

A senior Indian embassy official said over 150 Indian engineers and technical experts are currently working across Afghanistan on large infrastructure projects. "We are working out ways to ensure the release of our engineers," an official said. It is not known who is responsible for the kidnapping or whether a ransom has been sought for their release. Kidnapping of locals for extortions are common in Afghanistan. Rampant poverty and rising unemployment has worsened the situation. In 2016, an Indian aid worker was kidnapped in Kabul. She was released after 40 days. The Indian government regularly issues a security alert for Indians residing in Afghanistan and travelling to the war-torn country.- Agencies