As hopes for peace in the country grow among Afghans, tribal elders, activists, religious scholars and residents of Nangarhar and Badakhshan in separate gatherings in the provinces said the parties involved in the peace talks should show more “flexibility” and meanwhile they should accelerate the efforts for bringing peace to the country.
However, they said that the details of the talks should be shared with the people and that the Afghan government should not be sidelined from the process.
The tribal elders and religious scholars from eastern Nangarhar said Afghans are tired of war and that they are of the opinion that peace is the only way that can bring them together and can ensure the development of the war-ravaged Afghanistan.
The activists and tribal elders from Badakhshan and Nangarhar provinces said a golden opportunity has been created for peace and it should not be left unused.
“Both sides (the Afghan government and the Taliban) should not insist on their positions. Both sides are needed to lose something to reach an agreement,” said Esmatullah Shinwari, a religious scholar from Nangarhar.
The United States and Taliban officials last week agreed in principal on a draft framework for peace as the US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad put it. The US and Taliban officials met in Qatar last month for the fourth time and for six days. However, the group has refused to talk with President Ashraf Ghani’s negotiators.
Other attendants of Nangarhar gathering called on the people to welcome Taliban if they are ready to be part of the system. “They (Taliban) are our brothers. Let them come so that peace is ensured,” a tribal elder Osman Shinwari said.
Some politicians argue that President Ghani is creating hurdles for the peace process. They say that the Taliban wants to talk to the Afghan government as part of other several groups who will hold talks with the group on peace. Government has not confirmed or commented on such remarks. But, a tribal elder at Nangarhar gathering, Malik Akhtar, indirectly pointed at the issue and said “if the condition for peace is to leave power, then the power should be left, whether it is the power of a president, a governor or a district governor”.
The religious scholars, activists, residents, and members of different political parties who attended a gathering in Faizabad city on Saturday, said the people should be made aware of the details of peace talks as they are aimed at determining their future.
They said they support the peace talks, adding that Taliban should hold face-to-face talks with the Afghan government in order to move the process forward.
“We are concerned about the details of the talks. We have no idea how much the interests of the Afghans have been considered or are being considered in the (peace) talks,” said Sadullah Abuman, head of Badakhshan Ulema Council.
Head of Badakhshan Civil Society, Saifuddin Sayis, said they are concerned about the achievements of Afghanistan which “must be maintained in the negotiations”.
Meanwhile, representatives of some political parties in Badakhshan said the absence of government in the peace talks is “concerning”.
“There is at least a hope to break the stalemate of peace; therefore, we hope that the peace talks should continue despite that we are not in favor of hastening in the process,” said Noorullah Baqi, member of Azadagan party, a political party based in Faizabad city of Badakhshan.
“We want the process and we are ready to support it,” said Mohammad Ismail, member of Hizb-e-Islami party led by Abdulhadi Arghandiwal.
Besides the Qatar talks last month, representatives of over 40 countries attended the International Contact Group meeting last week in London where Mr. Khalilzad and President Ghani’s Special Representative on Regional Affairs for Consensus on Peace had participated.
According to Afghan officials, participants of the ICG meeting announced their support to the Afghan peace process.
