On June 2-4, 2010, more than 1,200-1,600 community leaders and sympathizers of the Afghan armed groups such as the Taliban attended a National Consultative Peace Jirga, organized by the Afghan government in Kabul. Although the Taliban did not participate, the three-day conference of tribal elders and religious leaders has raised optimism among Afghan people for peace in Afghanistan.
On June 2, the first day of the conference, the Taliban militants fired rockets and resorted to gunfire on the venue of the jirga. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was delivering his inaugural speech when the missiles were fired, continued with his speech and stressed that while the militants are doing their job, the delegates of the conference should do their job of waging peace.
At the end of the conference, the delegates adopted a declaration, supporting the Afghan government's call to begin peace talks with the Taliban, especially those lower-ranking militants who are willing to quit violence in lieu of government jobs and accept the Afghan constitution.
In a number of editorials written by various Afghan newspapers, a dominant view, expressing optimism for peace in Afghanistan, emerges.[1] Although some editorials are skeptical about any success in implementing the proposals of the jirga, there are some newspapers which think that Hamid Karzai might be emerging as a national Afghan leader due to his efforts to talk to all Afghan groups.
Afghanistan Times Editorial: "[A] Proposal… was That the Taliban Should be Allowed a Permanent Diplomatic Agency in An Islamic Country"
An editorial in the daily Afghanistan Times called for implementing the proposals of the peace jirga, noting:[2]
"The three-day consultative peace jirga in Kabul concluded on Friday on a positive note and offered a considerable boost to efforts of the Afghan government for peace talks with the dissident groups, including Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami of Afghanistan. One of the main proposals of the jirga was the formation of a high commission to oversee continued efforts for peace talks with the opposition groups. In general, the jirga was a strong representation of Afghan people's will for peace in the country. Now, it is up to the government to consider the recommendations of the jirga and implement them.
"The jirga was inaugurated by President Karzai on Wednesday, who during his speech asked the participants to work on finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in the country. At the time of opening of the jirga, a number of terrorists targeted the area with rockets and opened fire on security forces. Karzai invited the participants to keep their calm and continue working on the agenda.
"The 1,600 participants of the jirga who had come from the capital Kabul and provinces of the country continued their work and held useful talks regarding the peace process. In the conclusion, they came up with useful and positive ideas and proposals which are certainly helpful and important for the success of peace talks in the future. The resolve and determination of the participants who despite the foiled terrorist attack continued their work was a resounding portrayal of their interest and enthusiasm for peace.
"Consequently, the participants of the jirga proposed the removal of names of Taliban leaders from blacklists of the UN Security Council. They also asked for the formation of a special commission to oversee the peace process. Another proposal that was mentioned by some representatives was that the Taliban should be allowed a permanent diplomatic agency in an Islamic country. The presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan and legalization of their presence were also an issue of heated debate in the jirga.
"Now that the jirga has presented its proposals regarding the peace process, it is time for implementation of these proposals. Efforts must be made by the government and the international community to implement the decisions and proposals of the peace jirga because without practical efforts, the decisions and proposals of the jirga will not make any positive impact.
"The government must now try to convince the international community to cooperate in removal of the names of Taliban leaders from [the UN] blacklist and to release their prisoners. The dissident groups also must be convinced to join the peace process. The formation of the special commission which has been proposed by the jirga can play a pivotal role in this regard."
Pashtu-Language Daily: "The Biggest Decision of The Peace Jirga was that the Female Participants… will Go to the Homes of Opposition Groups and will Talk to Their Females"
An editorial in the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Afghan Jirga expressed optimism, noting "a light of hope for peace" from the peace jirga. Following are excerpts from the editorial:[3]
"The peace jirga finally took place and adopted 16 articles or recommendations in order to bring peace in this country. The biggest positive point in this jirga was the effort for peace by all the 1600 participants in one voice. Later at the end of the jirga, when Karzai was reading every article of the recommendations, once again it increased the hopes of Afghans to bring peace in this war-shattered country.
"The biggest decision of the peace jirga was that the female participants of this jirga will go to the homes of opposition groups and will talk to their females to urge their men not to use weapons or fight, and instead work for peace.
"However, there is one concern now as to how the Afghan government and the foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan will respect the recommendation of the peace jirga, and whether they will pave the road for the implementation of these recommendations.
"It is clear for all that even though the decisions of the jirga reflect the voice of every Afghan heart, if efforts from all sides are not put together these might not lead to any big achievements.
"Also, if the international troops stationed in Afghanistan don't support the peace jirga and if the international community does not help in the implementation of these recommendations, then these won't work efficiently. Let's hope to be the witness of peace and stability in Afghanistan despite all these concerns."
Dari-Language Daily Criticizes Karzai's Plan to Release Taliban Militants, Noting: "He didn't Pay Attention to the Reality that… All the Prisoners were Arrested by the Security Forces and Put in Jails Under the Judicial System"
An editorial in the Dari-language newspaper Roznama Arman-e-Milli expressed skepticism about the Karzai team's ability to implement the recommendations of the peace jirga. Following are excerpts from the editorial:[4]
"Hamid Karzai's team has finally become successful in achieving its goals at the Consultative Peace Jirga. Specific recommendations made at the end of the three-day jirga were what President Hamid Karzai's team wanted.
"Before the recommendations, if Karzai had released Taliban prisoners or removed their leaders from the blacklist [of terrorists], he would have come under strong serious criticism of some people and media, but today people's representatives apparently approved the decision to release the Taliban prisoners and the government is obligated to accept the decisions of the Consultative Peace Jirga.
"Karzai has clearly said that many Taliban prisoners have been arrested, without any sin, by the government and international troops, and therefore the Taliban should be released. But he didn't pay attention to the reality that in fact all the prisoners were arrested by the security forces and put in jails under the judicial system of his own government.
"So, as per Karzai's own comment, all government officials should be questioned and punished because, as Karzai said, they have arrested many innocent Taliban. However, if all those Taliban are sentenced to imprisonment based on documentary evidence, does the Karzai government have the authority to forgive them all?
Also, Karzai divided Taliban into two groups: i) Dear Taliban (Talib Jan) who are forced by tyrant government officials and foreigners to leave the country; ii) Taliban (Talib) who are leading from outside and have a hand in the killing of innocent people and destruction of schools. Now, it's not clear therefore which category of prisoners will be released by Karzai will.
"The other thing is if Karzai really wants to accept the recommendations of the jirga, he should first bring reforms in his government and in this case first of all he should sack Education Minister Dr. Farooq Wardak because he is only a pharmacist.
"As per the above considerations, Karzai's team was good enough to get its own demands and plans approved by the peace jirga. Nothing new was done there."
Editorial In Daily Outlook Afghanistan: "What We Hope is That This Process will Help Demonstrate Karzai as A True National Leader"
In an editorial, the Daily Outlook Afghanistan thought that the jirga was a boost to the credibility or mechanism for peace, observing:[5]
"The Consultative Peace Jirga ended in Kabul on Friday June 4, 2010. Around 1,400 participants and 200 guests participated in the jirga. Security officials had said that Afghan intelligence, police, army, and foreign forces were involved in keeping the event safe of any insurgent attack. Although insurgents attacked on the first day, it could not succeed.
"The head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative to Afghanistan Vygaudas Usackas, welcoming the conclusions of the National Consultative Peace Jirga in a press statement on Friday, expressed the hope that the message for peace forwarded from Kabul by the National Consultative Peace Jirga would be heard and embraced by all people in Afghanistan and across the region.
"Ambassador Usackas noted: 'The three-day event of the National Consultative Peace Jirga has been an important step toward stabilization and peace in Afghanistan. I look forward to working closely with the Afghan people and their government to support a peace process in Afghanistan.'
"The Consultative Peace Jirga was aimed at discussing ways to bring peace to the country through negotiations with the Taliban militants. The insurgents so far have not shown any sign of willingness to negotiate with the government, which they call as the Western puppet. Critics, therefore, believe that any peace talks will not be successful unless the government gets to a vantage point.
"The Taliban militants have demonstrated strength in challenging the government and international forces even in their most fortified bases such as the Bagram airbase and Kandahar over the last month. Under such circumstances, Taliban will not relinquish the ideology of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to embrace the Afghan constitution that runs diametrically counter to their concepts of what Afghanistan should look like.
"Added to that, while U.S. military action is heating up in the southern Kandahar region, Washington also does not want President Karzai to cede what it sees as unpalatable concessions to Taliban leaders. The U.S. officials want to see the momentum shifted to compel the militants to embrace peace based on the constitution and human rights. Before the peace Jirga, a senior official said that 'The red lines here are very clear,' while reiterating that only those who renounce violence and ties to Al-Qaeda, and who abide by the Afghan constitution – including women's rights – would be acceptable. On the other hand, officials from the Obama administration have said that the process is expected to boost Karzai's credibility as true national leader: "What we hope is that this process will help demonstrate Karzai as a true national leader."
Afghanistan Times Editorial: "It is the Duty of the Afghan Government to Ensure that the Recommendations of the Jirga are Implemented"
In an editorial, the Afghanistan Times newspaper stressed that implementation of the recommendations of the peace jirga is "crucial" to establishing peace in Afghanistan. Following are excerpts from the editorial:[6]
"President Karzai on Sunday issued a decree in which initial steps for implementation of decisions of the Consultative Peace Jirga were ordered. In his decree, the president has asked for the formation of a delegation to assess cases of all those jailed on suspicion of links with anti-government militants and to release those who have been detained without sufficient evidence.
"In the past nine years, thousands of people have been imprisoned on charges of connection with the dissident groups, but it is claimed that many of them are innocent and charges against them are vague and baseless. The release of those illegally imprisoned will be a big step toward implementation of the proposals of the peace jirga…
"If the recommendations of the jirga are not put in practice, all resources spent on the jirga will have gone in vain. The jirga can be ultimately effective and positive if its decisions are practically implemented. It is the duty of the Afghan government to ensure that the recommendations of jirga are implemented and put in practice.
"President Karzai's decree regarding a review of cases of those detained on allegation of links with dissidents shows that the government is serious in implementing the proposals of the jirga. It is no mystery that detention of a large number of innocent people on baseless charges of involvement in terrorist activities has annoyed many Afghans and forced them to join the dissidents. If the innocent Afghans are released, a big number of opposition members will be convinced to joined peace talks.
"Cooperation of foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan is very important in implementation of the president's decree. Many Afghans have been imprisoned in the U.S. troops' jails at Bagram airbase and Guantanamo Bay; many of whom are believed to have been jailed for months and years without facing any particular charges. President Karzai's decree includes these prisoners too and their cases also should be reviewed and the innocent ones should be released.
"Fortunately, there are reports that NATO forces are prepared to cooperate with Afghan government in the investigation and review of cases of the mentioned prisoners."
Endnotes:
[1] Texts of the editorials in English-language dailies in this dispatch have been lightly edited for clarity.
[2] Afghanistan Times, Afghanistan, June 5, 2010.
[3] Wrazpanra Afghan Jirga, Afghanistan, June 5, 2010.
[4] Roznama Arman-e-Milli, Afghanistan, June 5, 2010.
[5] Daily Outlook Afghanistan, Afghanistan, June 5, 2010.
[6] Afghanistan Times, Afghanistan, June 8, 2010.
