Afghans officials have bemoaned delays in the creation of a biometric ID system, saying that it is hampering efforts to make elections fairer and to improve social justice.Speaking at debates organised by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), Abdul Moqim Afghan, head of provincial information and culture department, said that the current system was open to abuse, since people could easily obtain multiple identity documents and voting cards in different names.”Fraud is easy with the current identity cards,” he said. “However, they [fraudsters] cannot obtain the new electronic identity cards. The identities of all voters will be known.”There have been plans to introduce the biometric cards carrying the fingerprints and digital photos of the bearer since 2009. However, bureaucracy , logistics and fears of ethnic tensions have held the project back.According to the IWPR, many speakers at its debates expressed frustration at the continuing delays to issuing the new cards, especially with a parliamentary election due this year.Huritullah, from the Kunar provincial government's IT department, said the national telecoms ministry had made all the preparations necessary, but a number of obstacles remained. As well as disagreement about whether to include ethnicity, last year's lengthy process of electing a new president, which involved a run-off vote and numerous allegations of corruption, had also delayed the process.Security is an important issue for us,” he said. “Even if we started distributing identity cards in Kunar today, there are districts of the province where there's no security. People from those areas cannot come to the centre and get their ID cards, and officials cannot go out to their areas because the conditions aren't right.”

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