Tolerate each other, work for durable peace: Shewani

FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): Haji Mohammad Naeem Shewani, a tribal elder in western Farah province, says people should resolve their disputes, shun hostilities and work for prosperity of the country.

Shewani is a resident of Shewan area of ​​ BalaBaluk district of Farah province and a leader of the Alizai tribe in the district, but he currently lives in Farah city, the provincial capital.

The 38-year-old says he has been working since the past eight years, along with other influential figures and has so far resolved hundreds of mild and serious disputes.

“The establishment of peace and solution to disputes are in the control of Allah. With the help of Almighty God, we have resolved many disputes – which, God forbid, were likely to turn violent and deadly,” he said.

Citing an example, he said that in Shewan area of ​​BalaBaluk district, a dispute arose between Nasirzai and Habibzai tribes due to a misunderstanding, which resulted in the deaths of three people on both sides and lasted for about eight years.

Shewani added that it was three years ago when he and some other tribal elders put the dispute to an end by mediating between the two sides.

A week earlier, two cousins engaged in a dispute over a car parking in Farah city as one of them was also injured after being hit with a rock, he said.

“Me and a few other elders met them and talked about the solution to the problem. Two or three young men from one of the dispute sides at the meeting said that they would take revenge, the disputed parties got serious and even attacked each other with knives and as a result many were seriously injured,” he said.

Shewani said he and other influential people stopped the dispute from becoming fatal and they were negotiating with the two sides to end their differences.

He urges tribal elders and religious scholars to try to resolve local disputes as early as possible so they did not turn violent later.

“What we are able to do in resolving disputes is to take immediate action to resolve them and encourage rival groups to tolerate each other,” he added.

“For God’s sake! How long will should live in disputes? Let’s tolerate each other, work together for peace and prosperity and work for the durability of peace,” he said.

He termed end of conflicts in the country a blessing from God and said that Afghans did not see happiness and prosperity in the last four decades and now was the opportunity for them to end their hostilities and accept each other as brothers.

mds/ma