Rabbani only cash fined not deprived of vote

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some media outlets reported that acting Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani has been deprived of his right to vote after violating the electoral law but the Electoral Complaints Commission says Rabbani and Karim Khalili have been fined only.

The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission says Hamidullah Farooqi has been fined and two presidential advisors have been deprived of their right vote in this month’s presidential election for the same reason.

Wrong information:

Yesterday, several media outlets including the BBC, Subh Kabul Mehr , Shafaqna , Khama and the world news reported that Rabbani had been deprived of his right to vote.

The BBC report says: “The Kabul electoral complaints commission has announced that foreign minister, the Kabul university chancellor and two presidential advisors have been relieved from their right to vote and were fined.”

The Mehr news agency said Rabbani was deprived of voting for law violations. Subh Kabul newspaper said the acting foreign minister was fined 15000 afghanis and deprived of vote for participation in electioneering.

Correct information:

Pajhwok Afghan News findings show only Shah Hussain Murtzavi and Mualvi Rahimullah Azizi have been barred from participating in the Sept. 28 presidential election and were imposed 15,000 afghanis fine each.

Kabul electoral complaints commission head Mr. Ajmal Khatoti on Tuesday told Pajhwok Afghan News said Rabbani, Kabul university head Hamidullah Farooqi and Islamic Wehdat party leader Karim Khalili had been fined 10,000 afghanis each for taking part in electioneering events of their favorite presidential candidates.

The source said Murtazavi, presidential advisor Rahimullah Azizi and Haji Chaman mosque imam had been fined 15,000 each and deprived of voting in the election.

He said the commission had so far registered 34 complaints and 24 of them had been addressed and the rest were under investigation.

A document with the electoral complaints commission says Murtazavi has posted a lot of material on his Facebook page in support of the State maker team led by President Ashraf Ghani.

The document says a number of complaints have been registered against Murtazavi campaign materials and he was fined and deprived of voting in light of documents and proofs.

Murtazavi told Pajhwok that he came to know about the electoral complaints decision through the media. He said he had no idea if the story was true as the commission had not yet contacted him in this regard.

He said he had not taken part in any campaign gathering and had not used his social media account in the interest of the State maker team. “I don’t know what the law says about comments, like and other things on social media and if the commission has the right to deprive someone of his/her vote.”

The Kabul electoral complaints commission says anyone who is fined or deprived of voting has the right of appeal against the decision.

Earlier, the president issued a decree barring government officials from interfering in the electoral process.

Outcome of truth assessment:

Pajhwok Afghan News assessed the facts through a new mechanism and showed the people “this story was in the category of true, some true, half true, little untrue, half untrue and untrue. This is a half true story.

Zarghona Salehi

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