Afghanistan Times
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Eventually after months of deadlock, a little progress has been reported from talks between the Afghan and Taliban negotiating delegations. Both sides are now on the same line. No more they are lingering on the rules and procedures rather the soon beginning of the intra-Afghan talks with key issues on the agenda. Since deadly attacks are taking place around the country, ceasefire is the top expectation. Indeed, coming to a conclusion is a significant step to move the talks forward and eventually lead to peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Peace is the only aspiration of the Afghan masses. After many years of war, the Afghans are starting to dream of peace. They are thinking about peace in the past four decades, but yet to test it. We are dying for peace. We lost so many innocent lives in the war of attrition. No more room left for the war-affected Afghans to suffer for more years. It should stop today rather than tomorrow because Afghan people lose their loved ones every day. The negotiating sides (Afghans and Taliban) must prioritize the nation and act on the people’s wills. Political contention must not derail the process. The process has to be succeeded for the sake of peace and stability. Afghans are truly thirsty to a dignified peace in which the rights of all minorities be ensured and constitutionally guaranteed. No ethnic group should feel ignored from the talks. Exclusivity, including the huge role of women, is vital to the success of the talks. The latest progress has increased hopes for a prosperous future. To do so, the Afghan government has to show more flexibility in the talks, and the Taliban must announce a ceasefire or at least reduce violence – a ghastly already diminished Taliban image on the society. No major breakthrough will happen if the plea of lowering violence did not work. We went through war for so many years, no side is the winner – a clear display that military means is not a solution. The only and best option is to talk sincerely. Both sides should bear in mind the fact that the ideology of ending war by war is nothing but to create more war. They should remember those innocent Afghan lives that lost – they were neither members of the security forces nor the Taliban fighters. No one can justify their (civilians) killing.
