Stronger turnout expected at Afghan voter registration in Pakistan

Quetta, October 2, 2004 - Organizers expected larger numbers of Afghan refugees to register in Pakistan Saturday for next week's Afghan presidential election after a slow start to the process the day before.

Registration was overall slow but peaceful on Friday, the first day of the three-day registration period, International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials said.

The IOM is organizing what it says is the world's largest "out of country" vote for refugees in both Pakistan and Iran, neighbors which have hosted more than four million Afghans over the past quarter century.

Up to 800,000 refugees are expected to register and vote in Pakistan on top of up an anticipated 600,000 refugee voters in Iran. The refugees could make up 10 percent of the total vote.

Some 10.5 million Afghans inside the country have already registered.

Around 1,670 polling stations have been set up mainly in western Pakistan, including camps along the border, southwestern city Quetta, northwestern Peshawar and the capital Islamabad.