Afghan sides must take steps to ensure peace bid success: Karzai

KABUL (Pajhwok): Former president Hamid Karzai has asked Afghan parties to the conflict to stop fighting a foreign war and fratricide and refrain from destroying national assets and protect people’s lives, human rights, national interest and take concrete steps to ensure the success of the peace process.

In a statement issued on the occasion of Eidul Adha, Karzai felicitated the Afghan people on Eid and said the recent increase in war, violence and destruction in Afghanistan had forced many families to flee their homes.

He lamented destruction of many facilities which had been created for the welfare of people with hard-won international support, urging the Taliban to consider public welfare facilities in areas under their control as national assets and prevent their destruction.

Karzai said the people of Afghanistan need more than ever before to stand firm against the conspiracies of foreigners to get out of the current situation and pull their country out of the war being fought for the benefit of outsiders.

The former president called the recent meeting between Afghan delegations in Tehran and the resumption of intra-Afghan talks in Doha as a good and effective step to end foreign interference and war in the country and establish lasting peace.

He hoped the talks would accelerate and result into a strong, independent, and people-friendly system in the country.

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