by Rong Shoujun     

    ISLAMABAD, Oct. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees Saturday flocked to the polling centers in Pakistan to vote in the Afghanistan's historic presidential election, praying for peace and stability for their calamity-ridden homeland.

    The autumn sun was shining, the sky was light blue and clear, and the weather was much pleasant. At a primary school in the G9 sector in western Islamabad, where a polling center with 24 polling booths has been established, many Afghan male refugees were queuing up for casting their votes.

    Outside the school gate, nearly 100 vigilant Pakistani policemen and commandos were deployed. The streets leading to the school were blocked for vehicles and only registered voters, mediaand international observers were allowed to enter the polling center.

    The ousted Taliban and other extremist groups in Afghanistan have vowed to disrupt the election process. They have distributed anti-election leaflets in the refugee camps in Pakistan, saying those who dared to register and vote would face unspecified punishment.

    However, there was still huge enthusiasm for the whole enterprise. Among the 1.5 million to 2 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, over 740,000 eligible voters have registered, approximately 28 percent are women, which has exceeded the expectation of the organizers.

    Rahim Abdul Qahir, a Afghan refugee and businessman who was dealing with Afghan carpets in the Super Market in Islamabad, toldXinhua that he came to vote since the election was very important for all the Afghans in and out of the country.

    "This is the first ever direct election in Afghanistan's history. We need a president who can run the country well and can bring hope to the people," he said.

    Nargis Amini, a 19 year-old beautiful and cheerful lady, workedproudly as an election staff at a female polling center in Islamabad. She said her hometown was Kabul and her family came to live in Islamabad in 1992 when she was seven years old.

    "We vote for peace and stability in our country. We do not caremuch who will win the election. We want our country to be rebuilt and developed," said Amini, adding every one loves his homeland and the Afghans do not want to be refugees in another country.

    Instructions on voting procedures and the photos of the 18 candidates running for the presidency were posted everywhere in the polling center. There were also some eye-catching slogans put up on the walls. One of them read: "Put your trust in God, but keep your gunpowder dry."

    The Afghan refugees, most of whom have been drifting in a foreign land for many years, are tired of wars and clashes in Afghanistan. They expressed their hope with ballots that peace, stability and security will be restored in their war-torn country,so that someday they can return home to live a restful life. Enditem