ISAS Briefs

The usefulness of holding the upcoming election to the lower house of the Afghan parliament has been subjected to intense debate. While security situation remains a critical challenge forestalling polling in large parts of the country, speculations are rife that the voting process may be marred by wide spread fraud and irregularities as witnessed in previous elections. As a result, the representative character and legitimacy of the newly elected house would remain a matter of debate. However, in spite of such challenges, in a country where insurgency is still raging, allowing the common people a sense of participation in shaping the future of the nation is critical. This would probably pave the way to let them develop a long term stake in the peace and stability of Afghanistan.