The National Security Council (NSC) of Afghanistan on Tuesday announced the establishment of supreme advisory board on peace and a negotiating team in a bid to forge a national consensus for brokering meaningful peace talks with the Taliban.
A presidential decree issued on Tuesday states that the creation of the supreme advisory board on peace is aimed to build consensus at a national level for promoting a lasting peace through consultations and discussions with the country’s Jihadi, political and social elites, including representatives from various stratum of society.
According to the decree, the board was tasked primarily to provide constructive advice to the government-led peace process, assess recommendations of the working committees of the peace process, propose agenda and effective framework for negotiations to the negotiating team, and if necessary, monitor the implementation of the peace process.
Meetings of the advisory board shall be attended by leaders of the National Unity Government, speakers of both houses of parliament, the Chief Justice, National Security Advisor, President’s Chief of Staff, the Attorney General, the head of National Directorate of Security (NDS), State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Chairman of Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), Head of Afghanistan’s Ulema Council and Head of the Secretariat of the High Peace Council (HPC).
The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs was tasked to take the responsibility for convening the meetings in coordination with members of the peace advisory board.
Meetings of the supreme peace advisory board will be held on a monthly basis, but if necessary, emergency meetings will be called.
In order to gather public opinions, and provide more awareness, the supreme peace advisory board will be supported by a number of committees, consisting of representatives of various segments of society.
The National Security Council will have technical responsibility for the secretariat of the consultative board in order to bring about more coordination and readiness for conducting meetings. President, CEO, Speakers of both houses of parliament, Chief Justice, National Security Advisor, Chief of Staff of the President, Attorney general, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, NDS Chief, Head of Ulema Council and Head of Secretariat of High Peace Council are members of the board from the government side. Former President Hamid Karza, Jihadi leader Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, Ustad Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Younus Qanooni, Sayed Hamid Gailani, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Salahuddin Rabbani, Sayed Mansoor Naderi, Sheikh Mohammad Asif Mohseni, Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, Hajji Din Mohammad, Atta Mohammad Noor, Amina Afzali, Sediqa Balkhi, Mohammad Ismail Khan and Amrullah Saleh are other members of the board.
