KHOST CITY (PAN): The Tribal Solidarity Council in southeastern Khost province on Thursday urged the armed opposition to participate in the upcoming elections.
The call came at a meeting attended by more than 300 tribal elders, religious scholars and youth at the council's office in Khost City, the provincial capital.
Participation in elections would be a better option than war for the fighters to attain their goals, remarked the council head, Ghazi Nawaz Tanai. "No country in the world can bring peace to our country until the Afghans reach an understanding among themselves."
Mir Zaman Sabari, the council’s deputy head, also underlined the need for the Afghan militants’ participation in the polls, set for April 5, 2014. He warned the conflict would rage on for decades if a political solution to the country's problems was not found.
A tribal elder, Qadir Mangal, said: "I want the insurgents to contest the polls and take advantage of the opportunity." He said the war was in nobody’s interest and peace would benefit the entire country.
The participants issued a resolution, welcoming the announcement of the election date and praising the provincial administration’s efforts for peace.
