Paktia clerics, elders urge Taliban-govt talks

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Some clerics and tribal elders in southeastern Paktia province on Wednesday urged the warring parties to renew their ceasefire and enter peace negotiations.

The religious scholars and elders expressed these views at a gathering the about peace process in Gardez city, the provincial capital.

Mualvi Abdul Sattar, a religious scholar, told the meeting that the ongoing war was an excuse for foreign forces to stay in Afghanistan should adopt peace talks.

The continued war, bad policies and losing opportunities had inflicted the country irreparable losses and therefore, the Taliban should not repeat the past.

“If Taliban want to win people’ hearts, they have to end the current war in the country and if the Taliban call destroying schools, roads, houses and preventing boys and girls from schools and making boys and girls orphans as jihad, this is not jihad.”

The provincial cleric body head, Qari Khwaja Din Haqbin, said the current war waged in the name of Islam was against Islam and Muslims. With the passage of each day, the Muslims were getting weak and their situation turning from bad to worse.

He also urged the government to bring reforms in all organizations and prevent corruptions.

A tribal elder Janat Gul Mangal said there had been a golden opportunity for peace talks during the ceasefire.

He said government spokespersons had been unable to effectively convoy its policies and programs to the armed groups.

Meanwhile, Ajmal Wekh, a civil society activist, also urged the Taliban to start peace talks with the government as they had promised.

He said: “We call on the opposition forces to sit with the government for peace talks in order to fulfill their promise as the nation is tired of the war.”

pk/ma