Hekmatyar: Afghanistan Only Achieve Lasting Peace Through Dialogue and National Consensus

DIDPress: The only viable solution to Afghanistan’s long-standing crisis is through honest and unconditional dialogue among all influential political and social factions, leading to a national consensus, underlined Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hezb-e-Islami party in Afghanistan.

He warned that a return to violence and renewed reliance on foreign support would steer the country toward a repetition of its bloody past tragedies.

Reflecting on the painful experiences of past decades, Hekmatyar asserted that power should be transferred through peaceful means and the will of the people—not by force, coups, or foreign intervention.

Hezb-e-Islami leader said that legitimacy, competence, and popular support are essential criteria for accepting any form of leadership. “We will only recognize a leadership that is acknowledged by the majority of the people. This is both a legitimate and fundamental right of the nation,” he stressed.

He also called for the establishment of a system based on Islamic principles, insisting that the structure and function of the government must be aligned with the tenets of the religion.

Criticizing the stance of certain former political figures, Hekmatyar highlighted the renunciation of violence as a core requirement for overcoming the current crisis.

“On one hand, we hear talks of selling Bagram Airfield; on the other, there are threats to repeat the Dasht-e-Leili massacre, where thousands of prisoners were deceived with false promises of safety and then executed,” he said as part of his message.

Hekmatyar described the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual, family, or ethnic group as dangerous and called for measures to prevent the emergence of dictatorship.