Women to make 30% of peace Jirga teams: Daudzai

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: Mohammad Umer Daudzai, President Ashraf Ghani’s Special Representative on Regional Affairs for Consensus on Peace, on Monday briefed media about the upcoming consultative Jirga, a grand assembly, on peace as he has been assigned by the president to organize the big event.

Daudzai said that almost 2,000 delegates will attend the Jirga, representing all layers of the Afghan society. The main goal of the Jirga, Daudzai said, is to create a national consensus on a lasting peace in the country.

Other main task of the Jirga is to determine the red lines for peace and the values for which a lasting peace will be established in the country.

Daudzai said women will make 30 percent of the Jirga delegates, reiterating that the assembly will be all-inclusive. He mentioned that everyone will be part of the Loya Jirga, where they will discuss the pathway towards peace and will review government’s peace strategy while preserving the achievements of the past 18 years.

According to him, five grand assemblies have been held in Afghanistan over the past 18 years and that this time, the consultative Jirga will be organized in less than a month while previous Jirgas took six months to be convened.

Ghani’s envoy said he sees a positive change in the view of the world about peace in Afghanistan.

“There is an international consensus about ensuring a sustainable peace in Afghanistan,” he reiterated.

According to the High Peace Council, it is more likely that the US in coordination with the Afghan government will ask the Taliban in Qatar talks to send a delegation for the Kabul Jirga.

The Jirga, a traditional assembly, is an initiative by President Ghani aimed at fostering a consensus at the national level, specifically among the Afghan political elites and public for peace with the Taliban. (TOLOnews)