Another milestone achieved

On Saturday September the 12^th, the inauguration ceremony for intra-Afghan negotiations was held in the capital city of Qatar, Doha. It is common knowledge that the issue of Afghanistan has two distinct dimensions – one external and the other internal. The external aspect involved the Islamic Emirate conducting successful negotiations with the Untied States of America where all issues were resolved in eleven rounds of talks and the process concluded with the signing of an agreement.

A key condition of internal aspect involved the exchange of thousands of prisoners as confidence building measure before the launch of ntra-Afghan talks. Although the exchange process was delayed and repeatedly disrupted, still it was major progress. Around six thousand prisoners were released from detention centers of both sides – meaning six thousand Afghans families were reunited with their loved ones and bestowed with joy and reassurance.

Now as intra-Afghan negotiations have also practically begun following the release of thousands of prisoners, then such is good news for our country and should be taken as a good omen by all sides and social strata.

Like the grandeur of the inaugural ceremony of intra-Afghan negotiations and the speeches by various Afghan sides and foreign ministers of world countries, the United Nations, Islamic nations and other organizations, this entire phase is of paramount importance.

This phase shall charter the future course of our homeland, seek a solution and end to the forty-year crisis and reap the rewards of forty-year sacrifices, migrations and hardships endured by our nation for an Islamic, independent and proud Afghanistan.

Just as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan views this stage with utmost importance and has tasked a senior and comprehensive delegation for it, it also becomes imperative for all other sides to deal with this sensitive phase in a responsible manner. The Islamic Emirate believes that after the resolution of the external dimension, it is entirely possible for the Afghans to come together and live their future under the shade of a sovereign Islamic government.

As our people share a common religion, ideals and values, excuses for prolonging the crisis must be avoided. Just as the Islamic Emirate showed its commitment to the principle of dialogue during negotiations with the Americans and displayed that an agreement can even be reached with an occupying enemy through talks, it similarly believes in finding a peaceful solution to issues on a domestic level.

In our view, intra-Afghan negotiations can only succeed once all parties set their Islamic and national values as a barometer for resolving issues. Since these negotiations are among Afghans, they must be kept pure from all foreign meddling, ideologies and values. Our own religious and national values that are already adopted by our people should not be sacrificed for foreign imported ideas.