Insisting on an early and amicable solution to the long standing Afghan conflict, politicians, technocrats, analysts and even former top figures of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have demanded an early end to every sort of interference in affairs of the war-ravaged country and allowing Afghans to decide their destiny on their own.
The demand was made through a declaration adopted in a well-attended conference (seminar) arranged by Qazi Hussain Ahmad’s Center for Discussion and Solution (CDS) in Peshawar on Tuesday.
The seminar on “The Afghan Issue: Regional Implications and Suggestions for Sustainable Peace” was largely attended by people from various walks of life. Beside Qazi Hussain Ahmad, chief of JUI-F Fazlur Rehman, Awami National Party’s Senator Afrasiab Khattak, former ISI chiefs Hameed Gul and Asad Durrani, Sirajul Haq, Ayaz Wazir, Brig (r) Mehmood Shah and Salim Saafi were prominent amongst the speakers.
Former Afghan prime minister in exile Engineer Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, ex-diplomat and leaders of Hizbe Islami Afghanistan (HIA) Engineer Qutabud Din Hilal and Dr Ghairat Baheer, Afghan parliamentarians Meerwais Yaseeni, Waheed Muzda, journalist Meerwais Afghan represented Afghanistan in the first ever seminar of its kind, arranged by former central chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The committee comprised Sirajul Haq as the chairman, Senator Afrasiab Khattak, Brig (r) Mehmood Shah, Prof Fakharul Islam and Dr Ghairat Baheer.
For the first time, leaders from staunch rivals like the Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami National Party made a joint demand for resolving the long-standing Afghan conflict.
Almost all of the speakers denounced the ongoing trend of terrorism, calling it a part of US strategy for getting occupation of trade and business routes along with natural, gas and hydel resources in both South and Central Asian region.
Through the declaration, the participants noted that three decades of conflict in Afghanistan instigated by foreign intervention had brought immense miseries and destruction to the country.
They stressed that the international community needed to genuinely recognize the real suffering and plight that the war in Afghanistan had brought to the people.
Hundreds of thousands had been killed; injured, and disabled and millions were forced to live as refugees in neighbouring countries.
It further stated that the participants emphasised that a durable settlement of the Afghan conflict required an Afghan solution. “A solution imposed by foreigners cannot yield long-term peace. In this pursuit of an all-Afghan solution for stability, the international community should truly commit to the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs of Afghanistan.”
They underlined that the cardinal principle testified by the Afghan history is that there was no exclusive military solution to the conflict.
“Foreign military interventions in Afghanistan have always proved destructive and futile. It is, therefore, imperative that the Coalition forces in Afghanistan should withdraw from Afghanistan and steps should be taken for encouraging a political settlement acceptable to all Afghans,” the declaration said.
The participants called for instituting a fully inclusive reconciliation process to facilitate the intra-Afghan settlement in accordance with the religious, cultural and tribal values of the Afghan society.
They affirmed the crucial role and contribution of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries in achieving durable stability in Afghanistan.
