KABUL (SW) – Mohammad Yunus Qanuni, the former first vice president, on Thursday called for peoples’ voice to be heard in the peace process.
He was addressing a ceremony here marking the death anniversary of Abdul Ali Mazari, the former leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan. He said one of Abdul Ali Mazari’s aspirations was to see Afghanistan’s problems resolved through dialogue.
Regarding the current peace process, Qanuni said that a new plan proposed in this regard to continue and accelerate the peace process may be implemented. He stressed that peace talks should not continue only between government representatives and the Taliban, but people should also be involved in this process.
Qanuni added that in order to accelerate the peace process, a plan may be drawn up to build a national and regional consensus.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, the president’s top adviser, recalled the struggles and actions of Abdul Ali Mazari, saying the Taliban had asked some people to pledge allegiance to them, which he said was unacceptable to anyone. “Some people are insisting on peace at all costs, which means that the Afghan government must give up all its values and surrender to the other side, which is impossible,” he said.
Mohammad Sarwar Danesh, the second vice president, also said at the ceremony that the government is committed to peace, but the peace plan should not be put forward in the absence of the Afghan government.
Abdul Ali Mazari, a former leader of the Islamic Unity Party, was killed by the Taliban 26 years ago.
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