No compromise on women’s rights in peace talks: Abdullah

KABUL were concerned their rights would be comprised during peace talks with militants but that was not the case.

Addressing a gathering of women in Kabul, Abdullah said they would never comprise on women’s rights and gains under any circumstances. He said women’s rights would not be ignored in the pursuit of peace in the country.

He said the women should not be worried about their rights because the government wanted to reach a dignified and lasting peace.

Abdullah was speaking days after the Afghan Women Network (AWN) welcomed announcing a roadmap and date for direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG)’s fourth meeting in Kabul.

The announcement rekindled hopes for a negotiated end to a long, deadly insurgency in Afghanistan after the Murree initiative collapsed.

The AWN also insisted on giving 25 percent representation to women in the talks with Taliban and said women’s role in the peace process should be symbolic or lukewarm.

The gathering in Kabul titled “Belief in women’s force in life and social contacts” was attended by a number of ministers, civil society activists, representatives of foreign embassies, officials of the Women’s Affairs Ministry and women’s rights activists.

Deputy to High Peace Council (HPC) head Habiba Suraya told the gathering that she was hopeful one day inequalities towards women would come to an end in Afghanistan.

Women’s Affairs Minister Dilbar Nazari said the Afghan women like the rest of the world also celebrated the International Women’s Day (March 8) to seek an end to the gender inequality.

She said national development was impossible without women’s participation because women made half of the populations.

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission head Seema Samar said until the war and violence continued in Afghanistan, women’s physical power would remain weak, but they should not forget that it were women who gave birth to national heroes.

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