Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government came under withering attack on Friday, accused of trying to manipulate parliamentary election results by the political opposition and a senior vote official.

The accusations threaten to ignite nationwide anger over the second Afghan parliamentary election since the 2001 US-led invasion evicted the Taliban and to drag Karzai’s administration into further controversy linked to corruption.They come after attorney general Mohammad Ishaq Alko, a key Karzai aide, opened a criminal probe into final results announced this week, arrested nine people and summoned election officials to answer accusations of fraud.

“The government wanted to nullify the election and since that failed it’s using the attorney general’s office to pressure the election commissions,” Afghanistan’s emerging opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah said.

“It’s another effort by them to have everything the way they want it… it’s basically a propaganda war by the government against the election,” he said, branding the top prosecutor’s office neither independent nor trustworthy.

Abdullah was the chief rival to Karzai in last year’s presidential election that was also marred with massive fraud.

Election officials threw out a quarter of votes cast in the 18th September parliamentary poll and disqualified 24 early winners, including Karzai allies, after processing more than 5,000 allegations of corruption.

Afghan political analysts say the September election appears to have dealt Karzai dwindling support in parliament at a key juncture in efforts by 140,000 US-led NATO troops to defeat a nine-year Taliban insurgency.

Pashtuns, Karzai’s traditional allies, are thought to have around 88 seats. His main opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, claims to control more than 90 seats.