Feature: Election campaign goes slow in Taliban birthplace

KABUL, Aug. 17, (Xinhua) -- There are only five days to the Afghan presidential and provincial council elections, but the campaigning goes slowly in the Taliban birthplace Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan.

Compared with other important cities of Afghanistan like capital Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif or Jalalabad, there is less hustle and bustle for the elections here.

Though one can see some posters of one of the two women presidential candidates in Kandahar, the biggest commercial city in the south, few posters of the presidential hopefuls are seen on the walls, streets and main roads of the city.

Despite Taliban threat to disrupt the electoral process, both the sitting president Hamid Karzai and his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah have visited Kandahar and called on people to use their franchise on voting day.

There is low women participation in the social and political scenario in Kandahar as compared to other parts of the country.

There have been many incidents of Taliban militants throwing acid on female students. A couple of months ago, Sitara Achakzai, a prominent female politician and women's rights activist was killed by Taliban insurgents.

Kandahar, the hometown of president Karzai and a former stronghold of Taliban insurgents in south Afghanistan, has been the focal point of the three leading contesters e.g. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, incumbent president Karzai and Abdullah.

Security in Kandahar in the face of Taliban threat remains a challenge ahead of the coming election.

However, officials of the Afghan and International Forces are hopeful of the situation in Kandahar, saying they would do their best to facilitate all eligible voters to vote.