Peace will not be achieved if ongoing efforts fail: Official

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: A senior government official in the east of Afghanistan says Afghanistan will “never” achieve sustainable peace if the current efforts at national and international levels are failed.

Addressing a ceremony in Paktia, the provincial deputy governor Abdul Wali Sahi said warring parties should use all the resources on the ground to move the peace process towards success.

“Peace should come but not in the form of a deal like in the past talks,” Sahi said. “The results of the peace efforts and the peace talks will be not in the interest of Afghanistan if the current efforts fail or if anyone creates challenges on the way of the process,” said Sahi.

Paktia residents said the peace efforts need to be expedited as the Afghans are tired of war and violence.

“All Afghans want peace in the country and it is the demand of everyone,” said Nadir Khan, a Paktia resident. “Both Taliban and the government are tired of war and now is time for peace because after seventeen years of war no one is the winner,” said Ismail Zahid, a Paktia resident.

The remarks come as the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is in Kabul for talks with the government leaders and Afghan officials to discuss the peace process. 

In a recent development, President Ashraf Ghani chaired the first meeting of the Reconciliation Leadership Council at the Presidential Palace on Sunday.

Sources said that the Afghan government has prepared two lists of 22 individuals for peace negotiations with the Taliban and a list of 37 people as members of the Council for Reconciliation.

The lists were discussed in the first meeting of the Reconciliation Council at the Presidential Palace on Sunday.

Sources told TOLOnews that the government has agreed for Afghans inside and outside the government participate in the upcoming meeting with the Taliban in Doha on 14-15 April.

Speaking at the meeting, Ghani said the council has been formed after many consultations and that it includes different layers of society.

Courtesy: (TOLOnews)