B itter rivalries among the Gulf states are being secretly played out in Afghanistan’s impending election, with “hidden foreign hands” trying to manipulate the result, a leading candidate has claimed on the eve of the poll.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seeking to ensure that Ashraf Ghani, the incumbent, wins the presidential race, given his opposition to Taliban peace talks being held in Qatar, Ahmad Wali Massoud told The Independent.

The brother of “The Lion of Panjshir” – commander Ahmad Shah Masood, who was assassinated by the Taliban – holds that the Afghan election has become a locus of competition between Qatar and its Saudi and Emirati adversaries.

“The Saudis and Emiratis don’t want Qatar to become the power behind the scenes and make themselves invaluable with the Americans – they want to play major roles in the peace process,” claimed Mr Massoud, a former ambassador to the UK.

The accusations of interference come as campaigning ends in an election which has become increasingly acrimonious, with allegations of fraud and warnings by some candidates that they will not accept the result of Saturday’s vote if there is evidence of malpractice.

The run-up to the polls has also been marked by relentless violence, with 170 people killed and 300 wounded in insurgent attacks since campaigning started. The Taliban issued another threat on Friday, warning people to “stay away from the polling stations on election day”.

Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Show all 20 1 /20 Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria*, 15 in the home her family has lived in for the past two years in Mazar-i Sharif She was forced to flee her home with her family after their town was attacked by armed groups. Nooria describes a rocket hitting her neighbours home killing many inside. They fled on foot with just the clothes on their backs and she now lives in Mazari Shariff where Save the Children have enrolled her in school and provide vocational training Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria* hopes for a future with no war; "When they attacked our village, the rocket hit our neighbour's house and they all died. Our house then caught fire and we ran away. My friends who I used to play with - I still don't know if they are alive or if they are dead.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I'm hoping for a better future, to learn, to support my family and to get them out of this difficult life. And I'm hoping for a future where there is no war.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed*, 16 at his family home in Mazar-i Sharif Naveed lost his leg when he stepped on a mine aged just 8-years-old. He was herding the family's sheep in the mountains near their home when he triggered a landmine Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict After months of medical treatment his right leg was eventually amputated. He received physiotherapy and a prosthetic leg from the International Committee for the Red Cross in Mazar Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Now enrolled in school, Naveed is being given vocational training by Save the Children. “For around a year I felt and dreamt that I still had my leg. But when I woke up and saw, there was no leg. Sometimes I’d feel with my hand to check and find it wasn't there.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “If someone has loses their leg, it does not mean that they have lost their mind." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "With the help of our minds we can continue to study, learn, and work to make the future of our families brighter.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed and Mahboob*, 55 (Naveed's father) Several years ago Neveed's father, Mahboob, was brutally beaten with rifle butts by armed groups after, he says, he failed to provide food for them while they were stationed in the family's village. He suffered brain damage which affected the right side of his body, speech and his brain function Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba*, 14, and Arezo*, 15 in a village outside Kabul Habiba and Arezo were injured with their mother three years ago in a suicide bombing in Kabul. Arezo is still traumatised from what she saw and has become completely withdrawn Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Arezo's younger sister Habiba cares for her, takes her to lessons and anywhere she wants to go. They are both in school through Save the Children's 'Steps towards Afghan girls' education success' (STAGES) programme, which helps the most marginalised girls get access to education, stay in school and learn. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba says: “When I woke up and I opened my eyes I saw lots of bodies and I thought I was not alive any more. It was horrible. I'll never forget that. Whenever there is a big sound she gets scared because she was traumatised by the sound she heard during the attack. I love my sister, and I help her with her lessons, I take her anywhere." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "She's older than me but I feel like the older one because I support her. I hope for a better future for me and my sister.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Khalida*, 10 in a classroom in a village outside Kabul Two years ago Khalida lost her 18-year old brother when he was killed in an explosion in Kabul. She misses him every day and says the family are still carrying the grief of his loss Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "Two years ago, my brother was going to Kabul when an explosion happened and he lost his life. We are still carrying the grief and are crying over him. At the time we were happy, everyone was happy. Now no-one is happy in the family. When I remember him, I cry and feel so bad. I hope for peace and that war will stop, and that nobody loses their brother” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I want to get education to become a teacher. I want to teach others who have never been to school” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema*,11 at her family home in Kabul Sema recalls coming home from her aunt's house and being told that her father had been killed in a suicide attack Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema still thinks about him every second and likes to look at his prayer beads (Tisbeh) to remember him. They hang from the curtain in the family home. She loves school and wants to become a teacher one day. Sema says she wants peace in her country to stop other children losing their fathers. “We still have lots of his belongings, like his car, his clothes, his watch, his shoes. Whenever we see them we cry. He gave us all so much love every moment and he is on our minds. I want for the powerful people around the world to stop the war and bring peace, because I don't want other children to lose their fathers.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I want to become a teacher to serve the country and I don't want any girls to be illiterate. I want to teach all the girls, so they have access to education.” *Names have been changed to protect identities Andrew Quilty/Save the Children

A rally due to be held by Mr Ghani at Kabul’s Ghazni stadium, where the Taliban used to execute prisoners, was cancelled at the last minute “due to a credible and serious threat”, said officials.

Mr Massoud said that although the ongoing violence has been a matter of grave worry, there should also be serious concerns about accusations of dirty tricks.

Afghanistan, he maintained, has become embroiled in the now two-year-long confrontation between the Saudis and Emiratis, and the Qataris. “We have heard there are some foreign hands who are very keen to see Dr Ghani succeed and have been working towards it; this is not pleasant news to hear”, said Mr Massoud.

“We hear that the Saudis and the Emiratis here are getting involved. We have been told that a team of hackers had been brought in by Dr Ghani’s team.

“It is about the Taliban talks. The Saudis and the Emiratis feel they have been left behind despite all the money, the resources they have spent in Afghanistan helping the Taliban over the years. They want to take the peace initiative away from the Qataris if they can.”

Saudi and Emirati diplomats, as well as Mr Ghani’s team, strongly denied that there has been any collusion between them during the election campaign. And no evidence has been produced to support the claims. Daud ​Noorzai, chief campaign manager​, has repeatedly stressed that the Ghani campaign has been transparent and has taken the utmost care to avoid being connected with impropriety.

Ahmad Wali Massoud is warning of outsider meddling (Aleem Agha)

The UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only states, apart from Pakistan, which recognised the Taliban regime of Mullah Mohammad Omar as the legitimate government of Afghanistan during its five years in power.

There are a large number of diplomats and officials from the kingdom, UAE and Qatar present in Kabul during the election campaign and all three states maintain a sizeable presence in the country.

Five Emirati diplomats were killed in a bombing in Kandahar in 2017 when inaugurating projects in the city: the ambassador, Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi, later died from his injuries.

Donald Trump suspended the Doha talks in early September after a Taliban attack killed an American serviceman. But there is widespread expectation that they will resume, with the US president desperate to bring troops home and claim credit for ending the longest war in American history in time for his re-election bid next year.

The negotiations had been held between an American team led by Zalmay Khalilzad – an Afghan-American and a former ambassador to Afghanistan – and a Taliban delegation based in Qatar and augmented by senior officials from Pakistan.

There has been strong criticism of the talks from various quarters. The Afghan government was excluded from them, and Khalilzad was accused of giving away too much in a draft agreement to the Talibs, without getting anything much in return.

President Ghani was a vocal critic of the draft agreement. Other international politicians and officials had also cautioned against the projected deal, including senior figures in the US Congress such as Republican Lindsay Graham.

“Perhaps some of the lobbying firms working for Dr Ghani in the US were one reason why Mr Khalilzad failed to deliver, we don’t know who was behind hiring these lobbyists,” said Mr Massoud.

In January the Taliban complained about a scheduled meeting in Riyadh with the Americans, claiming that the Saudis would use the opportunity to push them to talk to the Afghan government and also water down their negotiating position.

A Taliban leader told Reuters at the time that “differences between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have in fact damaged our peace process. The Saudis unnecessarily put pressure on us to announce a ceasefire which even the US delegation didn’t pursue.”

Shortly after the UAE and Saudi Arabia severed relations with Qatar in June 2017, leaked emails between Emirati and US diplomats revealed that the UAE was vying to be the venue for the Taliban talks in 2011, at the same time the group was setting up office in Doha.

Taliban kill more than 100 Afghan security forces in suicide bomb attack

Another leaked email in January 2018 from Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to Washington, expressed the “anger” of Emirati foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed (ABZ) over the fact that Qatar had taken such a prominent role in the Taliban negotiations.

Mr Massoud also claimed that there were reports that President Ghani’s team will claim victory on Sunday and declare himself winner of the election. “The other candidates would not accept this if it happens. We shall form a council to oppose it. We feel there will be fraud in this election, it is a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Abdullah Abdullah, co-leader with Mr Ghani in the outgoing administration, and his main rival in the election, also maintained there is likely to be widespread voter fraud.

“We have registered quite a few complaints, but this is just the tip of the iceberg”, he said. “My main concern will be that massively fraudulent elections will have an impact on the mentality of the people on whether the democratic process has been functioning or not. If there is massive fraud, and somebody is announced as a winner, this will not be accepted.”

President Ghani said that he was not willing to go into another power-sharing arrangement if there was no overall majority. “Afghanistan must have one president, not two. I will not accept another national unity government. God willing I expect to win the election during the first round, I believe and trust the decision is in the hands of the Afghan people,” he stated ahead of Saturday’s vote.

Mr Ghani wanted to stress: “My opponents can only challenge the election results in a court of law, not in a personal way. Our security and defence institutions are completely neutral and they are the guardians of the law. We don’t have the same dangers and threats that we have had in previous elections.”