Sima Samar, Chairperson of Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), on Wednesday said the peace process should be inclusive and consultative.
Addressing an event in Kabul, Samar said the people of Afghanistan should be involved in the peace process and that it has been experienced in peace agreements that people were not involved in.
Samar warned that there will be no lasting peace in the country when human rights values are taken into deal in peace talks.
“As long as the presence of women in peace talks is not meaningful, there will be no lasting peace,” Samar added.
Meanwhile, acting foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani speaking at the event said that he will never let that the current system will be dealt with the Taliban in peace talks.
Rabbani said that women should have an active role in the peace process and all parties must accept that women’s rights are not negotiable.
Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy for regional affairs on consensus for peace, Mohammad Umer Daudzai said that war is not the solution and that peace will come in 2019.
“There is evidence which indicates that peace will come in 2019 because war is not the solution and now all the parties admit that there needs to be a political solution for the Afghanistan problem,” Daudzai.
Daudzai also said that negotiations between the Taliban and the US are essential and before the talks start between the Taliban and the US, the government and the politicians were consulted about and they were in favor of the talks.
“Majority of our politicians have agreed that US-Taliban talks should be preliminary stages of talks, but not be the final,” said Daudzai.
Daudzai also said that US agreed in a meeting with Taliban on principle on troops withdrawal after peace is achieved and when all Afghans agreed on US withdrawal.
“It is expected that in the meeting which is expected to be held on 25th February in Doha the Taliban will come to negotiate with more authority,” Daudzai added.
Daudzai also said that the peace consultative meeting will be held in the March.
“The Loya Jirga will be held on 3rd of March and will continue for three days,” Daudzai
“Our values and red lines in negotiations with the Taliban in peace talks will be discussed in the Loya Jirga for peace and the role of women will be 30 percent in the formation of Loya Jirga both from capital and provinces,” Daudzai added.
Daudzai also said that there are yet obstacles and challenges ahead of Talks between the Taliban and the government.
“Talks between the Taliban and the government have not started yet, there are obstacles and challenges and there are options to remove the obstacles, one is military option, second is regional encouragement means to encourage the Taliban,” Daudzai added.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass speaking at the event calls for a comprehensive approach to talks with the Taliban to keep current achievements in peace talks.
“We want to see and help you create an Afghanistan in which all its citizens can live in peace and dignity. It is very clear to us that the people of this country want and earn peace. And so also our sense of urgency in trying to create that important negotiation and discussion in between all afghans is based in a response to your desire for peace,” said Bass.
“And that is why we through ambassador Khalilzad are talking to the Taliban and try to get the Taliban to sit with of all of the people of this county but that does not that we are substituting ourselves in talking to the Taliban for the government of Afghanistan or the people of Afghanistan. In discussion about those issues that only Afghans can decide for yourselves. The terms of peace are for Afghans to decide because only if you decide and agreed among yourselves will peace be durable. Now when we say that these are issues for Afghans to decide that does not mean my government is in different to the outcome,” Bass added.
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) will place the results of the Inquiry on the National Women, Peace and Security Inquiry and then share it with the people, the government and the international community.
