SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): Dozens of people with disabilities on Wednesday held a gathering in northern Jawzjan province and warned to boycott the Wolesi Jirga elections if candidates presented no special programs for them
Around a hundred physically challenged individuals attended the gathering in Shiberghan, the provincial capital, and criticized former Wolesi Jirga members’ performance and declared their stance on participation in the Oct 20 polls.
Zikrullah Mazlumyar, Jawzjan People with Disabilities Association head who attended the gathering, said: “The election campaigns have been ongoing over the past few days, but it seems the candidates have us and have no programs for us.”
He said lawmakers in the past also did nothing for the special people. “We have several times traveled to Kabul to meet lawmakers and share our problems with them, but none appeared to meet us and we disappointedly returned home every time.”
Mazlumyar said they would welcome candidates who have programs for people with disabilities otherwise all of them would boycott the elections.
Aminullah Babari, a disabled person, also said that candidates had no programs for solving problems of the special people.
The handicapped people would support candidate having programs for solving their problems, he added.
Habiba, another disabled person, said: “Parliament members always insult us instead of supporting us, they always humiliate us.”
“We know they would find way to the parliament even if we boycott the polls, but we at least will not be ashamed of having voted them,” she concluded.