Wolesi Jirga speaker says representatives of the nation should have a say in peace process, calling on all the stakeholders to avoid making political decisions on Afghanistan’s future in their absence.
Speaking at the plenary session of the lower house of Afghan parliament on Saturday, Mir Rahman Rahmani said that peace efforts without engagement of parliamentarians were doomed to failure.
“We support any effort for peace in Afghanistan, but any attempt to that end without the presence of representatives of the Afghan people in parliament, as the only legitimate and credible entity that represents the nation, is unacceptable to us,” Rahmani said.
He said the current government does not have the mandate to represent the nation on the international stage.
“Government should respect to distinction of the power since it’s not in a position to represent the nation in the absence of parliamentarians.
“We call on national and international stakeholders of the peace process to revere the well of the Afghan nation and avoid entering into any political game in the absence of parliamentarians,” he added.
Raihana Azad, another member representing Daikundi province in the house, said a peace process behind the curtain is unacceptable to Afghan, calling for transparency in the process.
She claimed that the Afghan peace process became a business for some circles and countries, stressing arbitrary acts should be avoided since the prime victims of the war are Afghans.
“Peace can only be achieved through a process which involves all the people suffering from the war,” she said.
