Peace Consultative Jirga Begins in Kabul
Peace consultative Loya Jirga began in Kabul on Monday for four consecutive days to determine the red lines for peace talks.
Peace consultative Loya Jirga began in Kabul on Monday for four consecutive days to determine the red lines for peace talks.
According to the head of high peace council secretariat Umer Daudzai, about 3200 delegates from across the country have attended the Jirga. The Afghan government said that the participants will determine the red lines of the peace process.
Meanwhile, dozens of national faces, political parties, electoral tickets, and civil society institutions have sanctioned this Jirga.
The critics stress that holding the peace Jirga is in contradiction with peace efforts and an election campaign by the government.
The electoral tickets of 16 presidential candidates have boycotted the Jirga, saying that this Jirga is untimely, unnecessary and wastes of public resources. Gholam Farooq Nejrabi, Hakim Tursan, Nur ul-Haq Ulumi, Ahmad Wali Massoud, M. Hanif Atmar, Faramarz Tamanna, Shaida M. Abdali, M. Shahab Hakimi, Rahmatullah Nabil, Enayatullah Hafiz, M. Ebrahim Alokozay, Noor Rahman Lewal, Zalmay Rassoul, and Abdul Latif Pedram have boycotted the Peace Jirga.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai had also announced that peace Jirga is not in favor of the people and the way to reach a national consensus and should be postponed.
At least 70 political parties, including Jamiat Party, Junbish-e Milli, Wahdat Islami-e Mardum-e Afghanistan, and Hezb-e Wadat Islami-e Afghanistan have also sanctioned the Jirga.
Taliban had also reacted against the Jirga, saying that this Jirga will put developments of peace talks in danger.
Despite all oppositions and sanctions, the peace Jirga began Monday and will continue for three days.
Rasool Shahzad – DID press agency
