Afghanistan Times
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The government says it is now calling Taliban as terrorists, the militants who have been waging the 14-year-long battle with the NATO-backed government forces and have several times refused Kabul administration’s demands for peace talks.
The former president Hamid Karzai following a peaceful policy used to call Taliban insurgents as ‘dissatisfied brothers’, a call to persuade the insurgents to join the peace process. Karzai worked hard to bring the militants to a peaceful life. The establishment of the high peace council is an example of Karzai’s efforts. As parts of his peace efforts, Karzai traveled 20 times to Pakistan to convince the neighboring country to use its influence over Taliban and help Afghanistan in its peace talks. Even after his own brother Ahmad Wali was killed, the ex-president did not abandon peace efforts.
The serving president Ashraf Ghani called the insurgents as ‘political opposition’ in his swearing day two years ago. In fact, president Ghani kept following Karzai’s peaceful policy just by changing the words to encourage the armed opposition particularly Taliban to give up insurgency and join their brothers and sisters’ calm life. Ghani did not ignore peace efforts either. He also tried to convince Pakistan that it would be safe by having a safe Afghanistan in neighborhood. The four-nation talks which held four meetings, was an initiative of Ghani administration.
But the insurgents did not say ‘yes’ to all these efforts and intensified attacks on the innocent civilians. The increase in Taliban’s attacks which was not stopped even in the winter unlike the past winters that the insurgents took a break, demonstrates their warmongering intentions.
Civilians were killed, injured and displaced in Kunduz province when the militants attacked on the districts of the province last week. Their very recent response to the governments’ peace demands was the Kabul deadly suicide attack that left more than 60 including 52 personnel of the security agency killed and 347 mostly civilians injured.
President’s spokesman Shah Hossein Mortazavi in a televised interview said that “Taliban are terrorists”. This is the belief of the people. What does terrorist mean? Terrorist is called for one who makes the situation insecure by committing armed attacks in the cities and villages.
But only changing the words is not enough to remove insurgency. People ask the government to intensify attacks to root out those insurgents who do not believe peace and continue fighting for the enemies of their motherland and their brothers and sisters. Those militants who are in prison should be executed so the terrorists understand that the government is serious in struggle against them. People agree with the government that Taliban are terrorists and should be uprooted.
