Where Is High Peace Council?

MEP: After more than six years of activity and the launch of the High Peace Council, the Afghan people’s longtime wish to the council was granted.

The Hope that maybe in the beginning and by the presence of jihadists and political leaders of the country’s veteran, was great, but this trend has become paler day by day.

High Peace Council initially was created with external and internal enormous budget and was a center for parties and political leaders to hold their meetings and talks in.

In the past six years, hefty sum may have paid for directors, members and staff of the council that proves the council has no achievement until today.

During the six years period the Council failed to advance the peace process in Afghanistan urged by the country’s people and directors and its members were looking for the end of the month to receive their salaries in order to spend it for their lives.

The creation of the High Peace Council was unable to prevent insurgents waging war; it could not work within the Council to take a positive step towards peace.

With the creation of national unity government, the government leaders in an act, chiefs and heads of the High Peace Council, which were supposed to be dissolved, have changed and they promised that will take the basic steps in the way of peace.

But based on what the High Peace Council says now: “in the last two years, no contacts have been made with the armed Taliban group which considers the main opposition.”

Although the council highlights Pakistan as the main obstacle for the process, but they must answer themselves that what exactly, they have done in this regard? Which failed to convince the armed Taliban to participate in peace talks.

High Peace Council because of its failure was not successful even after the death of Mullah Mohammed Omar, former Taliban leader, to take a positive step towards the country’s peace.

It should be noted that the Council held several meetings with the delegation of the Islamic Party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar that this also remained fruitless after the two sides (the government of Kabul and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar) signed the agreement.

It was the inefficiency of the Council that no sound was heard from the Council until senior adviser to the council, Abdul Hakim Mujahid, in a controversial remarks, described the armed Taliban as “Angels on Earth” and insulted a number of former jihadi leaders such as Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former head of the High Peace Council.

The only issue statements that followed, was calling up the High Peace Council name, otherwise all of it was controversial and serious reactions are followed.

Remarks by Mujahid also caused the Senate to criticize the existence of the High Peace Council.

Senators on Sunday (15 January) called on the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani) to abolish the High Peace Council and assign all the council expenditures to military forces.

Senators believed that no achievement was made in the High Peace Council and shall not exceed the excessive expenses for it while security forces battling day and night in poor conditions with low salaries on the front lines.

Reactions against the High Peace Council, show that the Council had no efficiency for Peace activities in the peace field. It was only a source of money for expenses and budget.

Part of the High Peace Council’s budget are spent for fruitless conferences and stereotypes which is sort of persecution.

The budget that might be taking to the security forces, would have raised their morale and provide better equipment for them as well as solving major problems of their lives.