‘Afghanistan yet to gain national, regional consensus on peace’

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of participants of a conference in Kabul on Thursday said achieving national consensus for peace would help encourage building regional consensus.

Habib Rahman Hekmatyar, director of the Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) office, told the conference about peace that the Taliban had consensus for the peace process but the government had failed to create one on the national level.

He accused the government of monopolizing the peace process and said that Kabul leaders were worried they would lose power with the arrival of peace.

Hekmatyar also blamed the government for weakening political parties and said, “All politicians in the government or outside it should be present in this process, HIA and Jamiat-i-Islami Afghanistan which are two major political parties have no presence in peace talks.”

An effective national consensus would not only pave the way for building regional consensus but also would break the monopoly of a particular group, he said.

He asked the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) to respond to the concerns of some regional countries regarding the Afghan peace process.

Khalid Asad, a Wolesi Jirga member from Paktika province, talking to the conference, stressed inclusive consensus for peace and said national unanimity on the process did not exist.

“Despite being the third pillar of the state, the Wolesi Jirga was not consulted by the HCNR on developing national consensus for peace,” he said.

Faramarz Tamanna, a Kabul University lecturer and candidate in the last presidential election, also said that the Afghan government was yet to achieve national and regional consensus for peace.

He believed the newly elected US president might fire the country’s foreign secretary and its representative for the Afghan reconciliation because the new US administration could have a different program for Afghanistan.

“Even if the peace process continues and US diplomats constantly work, it would still take three to five years,” he said.

Naheed Farid, a lawmaker from Herat province, said the Taliban were part of Afghanistan but the group’s recognition by the US led to intensified violence in the country.

She said the US-Taliban agreement should be reconsidered as the peace talks were a long process.

Fawzia Koofi, a member of the government’s negotiating team, during her speech said that the Afghan conflict had no military solution – something acknowledged by Afghan politicians and neighboring countries.

She said the ongoing intra-Afghan talks were an opportunity for all sides and all regional countries should be included in the process so none of them would have excuses later.

However, Koofi said on her return from Doha to Kabul, she found the Afghan politicians divided on the peace negotiations.

She stressed on consensus of Afghan politicians over rules and values and said divisions over the issue could create problems later.

Mds/ma

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