Help bring Taliban to talks, Khalili urges Kandaharis

(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) KABUL (Pajhwok): The High Peace Council (HPC) on Tuesday urged religious scholars of southern Kandahar province to help bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

HPC chairman Karim Khalili made the demand at a conference of religious scholars from the southeastern zone in Kandahar City, the capital of Kandahar province.

The day-long conference was attended by governors, provincial council heads, provincial peace committee heads, ulema, local council representatives, tribal elders and HPC members.

Khalili declared his support for Helmand residents staging sit-ins in support of the peace talks.

€œI am very happy to be in historic Kandahar province -- the home of Ahmad Shah Baba who created modern Afghanistan,€ said the HPC chairman.

€œPeace never means Taliban€™s surrender. We want the peace initiative to bring about a revolution of peace in the country,€ said Khalili.

He added the victims of the ongoing conflict in the country were only Afghans and the bloodshed must come to an end.

He said on both sides the Afghans were being killed. Those killed and wounded in the war were the Afghan youth and they were Muslims, adding foreigners had not suffered losses as much as the Afghans.

He said foreigners might support the peace process but they could not interfere in the reconciliation drive.

Kandahar Governor Zalmai Weesa said the people of Kandahar supported all efforts of the HPC for peace and reconciliation in the country.

Uruzgan Governor Asadullah Saeed called on militants to join the reconciliation process. He claimed some armed groups had responded positively to his call.

Religious scholar Mualvi Abdul Manaf said the current war in the country was imposed from the outside and had no legitimacy.

Ulema Council Head Maulvi Qayyamuddin Kashaf called on ulema to help advance the peace drive in the light and of Quran and Sunnah. He said jihad was not aggression but it was for defense.

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