GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Religious scholars from southeastern provinces on Thursday called for President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai to initiate concrete security measures, including peace talks with militants.
Clerics from Paktia, Khost, Paktika and Logar, during a meeting in Gardez, stressed the need for national reconciliation. They said lasting peace was central to the country’s economic development.
Maulvi Abdul Ghafoor from Logar asked the president to remove hurdles to reconciliation, which was vital to the success the government’s plans for the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan.
Khost Ulema Society head Maulvi Shahid told Pajhwok Afghan News the unity government should consult scholars on how to enforce peace. The ulema had not been given the role they should play in government affairs, he lamented.
His colleague from Paktia, Maulvi Wahid, faulted the High Peace Council’s composition, claiming Taliban leaders were unwilling to join reconciliation in the presence of certain members of the council.
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