The High Peace Council (HPC) on Sunday said the option to delay the Consultative Loya Jirga on Peace remains on the table, but a final decision regarding the issue has not been taken so far.

The reason behind the proposal is because of weather conditions, said the HPC spokesman Sayed Ehsan Tahiri, adding that if the cold weather prevails, members from remote regions of the country will not be able to attend the Jirga.

The Consultative Jirga on Peace, which is an assembly of more than 2,000 delegates from around the country, has been scheduled for March 17.

 “First, we want to convene the Jirga on the scheduled time. A new timeline will be announced if we are not able to ensure the timely participation of the delegates in the Jirga,” said Tahiri.

 Last month, President Ashraf Ghani called for the Jirga to bring together hundreds of delegates from around the country to discuss the next step on peace. 

 “At the Jirga, people will hold discussions on the nature of the peace talks and the post-peace government in Afghanistan,” Ghani on February 11.

 An official from the Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah’s office said events like the peace Jirga require broad consultations.

 “It is easy to make a call and invite [delegates], but it is difficult to implement a major national program without making necessary consultations,” said Nasrullah Musaddiq, advisor to Abdullah.

 Meanwhile, President Ghani’s spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said the secretariat assigned for the Jirga will announce the exact date of the assembly after it completes its assessments.

 “The secretariat of the peace Jirga will conduct logistic assessments as well as its timing so that all layers of the society are able to ensure their participation in the Jirga,” Chakhansuri said. “The exact date will be announced later by them (the secretariat).”

 Critics say that political reservation could impact timing of the peace Jirga.

 “We need more time in the face of the political reservations which I also support. There is a need for more debates about the Jirga,” said MP Sayed Ali Kazimi.