Prevent Afghan situation from exacerbating, APH tells world

KABUL Peace House (APH) on Monday said it was deeply concerned over the increasing level of insecurity in Afghanistan and called on the international community and the Afghan government to prevent the situation from exacerbating.

In a statement, the largest civil society umbrella organization in the country said the increasing violence has cost Afghans’ confidence in the ongoing peace process as they continued to witness and suffer from the loss of their dear ones in the most heinous ways possible.

“Such atrocities are no longer tolerable, and have brought Afghans on the verge of taking a revolutionary step to put an end to injustice, cruelty and barbarism once and for all.”

Afghanistan Peace House considers the ongoing peace talks to be a serious threat for the whole of Afghanistan due to the following reasons:

1. Increased violence between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban will only cause further insecurities.
2. Taliban have never had a genuine attitude for reaching a peace agreement, which is why, they have promoted psychological warfare alongside their heinous attacks on innocent souls.
3. High Council for National Reconciliation has so far proven to be ineffective in the context of the peace process, and there is no unified negotiation strategy within the government to deal with this crucial process.
4. Economic, societal and security conditions have deteriorated sharply causing discontent among the masses.

Afghanistan Peace House proposes the following in response to this existing crisis:

1. Taliban and the Afghan government must declare an urgent ceasefire prior to proceeding with any type of talk.
2. All neighboring countries and the international community must fulfill their role as observers to the Afghan peace process.
3. All politicians and state officials must come to common terms and agree on a unanimous view concerning the peace talks.
4. Women and the Afghan civil society must have their say in decision making processes in the peace process.

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