Misusing the name of Loya Jirga once more

Even as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has taken sincere steps towards launching intra-Afghan negotiations and finding a peaceful resolution, the Kabul administration has contrarily exerted efforts at every juncture to hamper the process with a plethora of excuses.

The Islamic Emirate not only declared a unilateral ceasefire during the Eid but also took the initiative by releasing all the remaining prisoners that it had agreed upon. The Islamic Emirate released more than the thousand prisoners it had agreed to as a goodwill gesture so that it may honor its commitment in a good manner.

However, the head of Kabul administration Ashraf Ghani once again reneged on its commitment of releasing the remaining four hundred prisoners during his Eid message and added that a Loya Jirga will be called to resolve the issue.

Loya Jirga’s have historically been convened to decide on fundamental and key issues affecting Afghanistan. The recent history of Afghanistan has recorded a very limited number Loya Jirgas that have only been convened to decide upon very important matters like fighting against occupation or selecting a leader. But the rulers of Kabul holding no legal authority have repeatedly tried to misuse the name of Loya Jirga over the past two decades by duplicating the process with invitations to administration workers and hired individuals which have had no impact on the situation except create a propaganda frenzy.

The Arg officials – who have been acting in complete opposition to the wishes of the people during this process aimed at finding a peaceful resolution and are lacking a coherent political strategy – now seek to divert public attention for a few more days under the name of Loya Jirga and further delay intra-Afghan negotiations because calling for the convening of a Loya Jirga about such a minor issue has no other meaning or justifiable basis.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has properly fulfilled its responsibilities as per the Doha agreement and shall act upon the remaining clauses accordingly. However, it wants the Afghan nation to remain vigilant and identify individuals who are playing with the wishes for the entire nation at this critical time for their own personal interests and illegitimate power and are conjuring various excuses to delay intra-Afghan negotiations with the sole aim of extending the occupation and the prevailing crisis.