Head of High Peace Council ‘bears no grudge’ against assassins

“It was a very unfortunate incident and we lost a very great Afghan leader and
for me it was a very difficult personal trauma.

“But I wanted to remain committed to the peace process because I don’t want my
children or the children of Afghanistan to suffer more in the way like I
have. We have to end this madness – and for that reason I have to continue.

“If somebody harms you and you do something good then maybe that will be a
catalyst to help bring about something peaceful.”

It has been claimed by senior members of the Afghan government that the
Pakistani Inter Services Agency were behind that attack. But Mr Stanekzai,
who speaks excellent English, said it was impossible at this stage to say
who planned and directed the assassination.

He continued: “The people who carried out the attack are the enemy of peace.
They see benefits in the continuation of violence and this is why they want
to destroy the peace process. They are much more worried by the prospect of
peace compared to the continuation of fighting.”

The Minister said that one of the biggest challenges of the future was to get
the Taliban to engage in the peace process in an “open and transparent way”.

He added: “The senior level of the Taliban can not talk openly. It is
difficult for them to talk about the peace process because of the
environment in which they are operating and living.

“There are indications that they want to talk. The reason they wanted to fight
is because they said Afghanistan is occupied.

“Why should they fight when the international community has made a commitment
that they will leave and transfer the responsibility for security to the
Afghan National Security Forces?

“If their goal is to fight the foreign troops and the foreign troops want to
leave then what is their excuse for the continuation of the fighting? Many
of them already reached the conclusion that just by killing people you will
not achieve your goal.”

He also said that the Taliban could play a part in the future of Afghanistan
providing they entered the peace process.

The Minister continued: “Is there a future for the Taliban in Afghanistan? I
think for every Afghan, no matter what their background, there is a role for
them in the future. I think the Taliban can play a part in that future.

“The role of the High Peace Council is to broaden the debate amongst the
Afghans in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a very rocky road, it
will be full of ups and downs and turbulences but one thing is clear,
everybody is tired of this war and violence.

Afghanistan has suffered for 33 years and we have lost at least two
generations to the war. That is why it is important that all leaders just do
not think about their own ideas but think about the future of the country.”

The Afghan people, Mr Stanekzai said, had experienced life under the Taliban
and had rejected it. “They don’t want to go back to that situation”, he
said.

“It will take time for the Taliban to see the reality of the situation – we
now have a youth which is being educated and has a different mind set. Every
one wants Afghanistan to become a sovereign country – if that is the
Taliban’s goal, it is also our goal, so lets work together.”

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