Afghan leader holds council to set agenda for Taliban talks

Published April 30, 2019
KABUL: Afghans attend the first day of the Loya Jirga on Monday.—AFP
KABUL: Afghans attend the first day of the Loya Jirga on Monday.—AFP

KABUL: Afghanistan’s president opened a grand council on Monday of more than 3,200 Afghans seeking to agree on a common approach to peace talks with the Taliban, but the gathering may further aggravate divisions within the US-backed government.

President Ashraf Ghani hopes to showcase unity at the four-day meeting known as Loya Jirga that brings together politicians, tribal elders, many prominent figures and others.

But Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, his partner in a unity government brokered by the US after a bitterly disputed election in 2014, heads a list of no-shows.

Former president Hamid Karzai, who also is not attending, said on Monday that holding the council at this time risks “delaying and causing an impediment to the peace process”. He also voiced concern that by sidelining his chief executive, Ghani could trigger suspicion that personal ambitions may have partly driven him to hold the Loya Jirga now. “We are all here to talk about the framework of peace talks with the Taliban ... reaching a sustainable peace is very important to us,” said Mr Ghani in his welcome address to delegates.

Waving a copy of Afghanistan’s constitution, Ghani lauded it as the most Islamic of constitutions, an apparent message to the Taliban who have suggested they want to negotiate articles within the charter, without specifying.

Ahead of the council, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Progra­mme at the Washington-based Wilson Center, said that “if Abdullah and his supporters don’t attend, there’s going to be a glaring absence of key stakeholders that will diminish the event’s credibility in a big way”.

“Given all the divides in Afghanistan, there is as much of a need for reconciliation within Afghanistan as there is for reconciliation with the Taliban,” he added.

Karzai urged the US to do more to press all sides to the table. “We are in a great hurry for peace.” The Loya Jirga, a deeply-rooted tradition aimed at building consensus among Afghanistan’s various ethnic groups, tribes and factions, was intended to strengthen Ghani’s hand but risks being seen as just a gathering of loyalists.

A Taliban official familiar with the talks said the two sides are still haggling over a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, with the Taliban demanding six months and the US seeking 18 months.

Ordinary Afghans, who have endured decades of war, express frustration with both sides.

Hajji Sher Aga, who owns a gas station near Kabul, complained about the lack of security and lawlessness. He blamed widespread government corruption and said peace with the Taliban was the only answer.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.