Peace is in the interest of all people, except those making money from war. One of the greatest aspirations of an absolute majority of Afghan people is to finally see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan one day. Masses of Afghans have unfortunately taken the dream to the grave with themselves, and tens of people continue to fall victims on a daily basis to a war that on no account benefits Afghanistan, one that serves only the interests of others but takes a heavy toll on Afghans alone.
Governments and politicians consider themselves representatives of nations. If Afghan government and political leaders are truly representing people, they have to give a priority to ending the ongoing tragedy because Afghan people have long been calling for peace.
From power to economic and political interests, nothing should hold the politicians back from the political settlement of the conflict. President Ghani has time and again reiterated that he is ready even to sacrifice his life for peace, but the government’s recent peace efforts under his leadership run counter to the claim. The president rejected the idea of postponing the 2019 presidential election, a step viewed necessary by some circles to help the ongoing US-led peace talks with the Taliban come to fruition, and apparently forced the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to announce the presidential election timetable. Moreover, President Ghani has formed a team to lead peace negotiations with the Taliban that further raises doubts and questions about his intention and willingness for peace. A member of the team has even claimed that he had not been consulted about his appointment, and that he had become aware of it through media.
President Ghani’s opposition to a delay in election or appointment of a weak negotiating team not expected to broker a breakthrough in peace talks may stem from his fear of losing power, but the reality is that achieving peace more than anything else can boost his chances of re-election. If a few months-long delay in the presidential election can lead to the success of peace talks with the Taliban — something that can realize the biggest, long-held dream of Afghan people, the president will have higher chances of winning the presidential election despite all his failures since he would then be in a better position to convince the people to throw their weight behind him.
Peace is the number one priority, and no one reserves the right to deprive Afghan people of the blessing. Peace is in the interest of all Afghans, but a handful of belligerent elements who should not allowed to take the will of the entire nation hostage.
