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Article: Loya jirga could become a sham; Slayings, arrests and absence of voters arouse skeptics.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- May 29, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Borzou Daragahi, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghans of all ethnic backgrounds are beginning to grumble that next month's loya jirga - the grand assembly intended to chart the country's political future - will be nothing more than a sham process designed to approve the current regime.
A meeting of nearly 400 men called to select delegates last week was so poorly organized that participants learned of it only by word of mouth. When it came time to vote, the candidates were chosen by popular acclaim without so much as a counting of hands.
"I was hopeful before," said Fahim Dashty, editor in chief of the newspaper Kabul ...