Religious scholars will have a bold presence in the peace process

Eighty-one religious’ scholar, both male and female, attended a consultative meeting at the State Ministry for Peace. They announced their support for the peace process led by the Afghan government and said that they would have a bold presence in the process.

At the opening of the meeting, Abdul Khaliq Balakarzai, Deputy Minister for Coordination of Tribes of The State Ministry for Peace, briefed on the government's efforts for peace and said that peace is currently one of the most important priorities of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It is necessary to consult with various strata and with their views we can move on with the peace process.

Mr. Balakarzai stressed the importance of coherence and unity of the views of the people, politicians and peace-related structures and said that it is necessary to create a unified and coherent view to achieve a positive outcome of the peace negotiations.

The Deputy Minister for Coordination of Tribes of The State Ministry for Peace called the role of the religious scholars in the peace process as a key and important role, and said that the views of the religious scholars would be monitored during consultative meetings and shared with the authorities.

On the other hand, Abdul Rahman Hotak, Senior Advisor to the State Ministry for Peace, said that preventing war is the responsibility of all Afghans; But the religious scholars have a more effective role in this regard.

Emphasizing that the religious scholars have always held a high position in society and that people always heed their guidance, Mr. Hotak said that the religious scholars must prove their position in promoting peace and the spirit of Islamic peace at this point.

The Senior Adviser to the State Ministry for Peace also said that religious scholars can share their plans and proposals to improve the peace process and work with the State Ministry for Peace to achieve a lasting, dignified and just peace in our Islamic country.

The participating religious scholars were then divided into five working committees to discuss the issues raised. As a result of the discussions, the views were consolidated and presented to the plenary by the chairmen of each committee.

Citing the verses of the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadith, the religious scholars considered it necessary to bring peace and stability to the Islamic society and said that they supported the peace process.

They called for a bold presence in the peace process, saying that religious scholars could play an influential role in peace negotiations by relying on their religious knowledge.

The religious scholars also called for the continuation of consultative meetings and for the results of the meetings to be shared with the relevant authorities.

At the end of the meeting, Abdul Khaliq Balakarzai, Deputy Minister for Coordination of Tribes of The State Ministry for Peace, while expressing gratitude for the presence and patience of the participants, said that the State Ministry for Peace will not rely only upon one meeting, however, these consultative meetings with the religious scholars will continue.

He also noted the complexity of the peace process, saying every step should be measured and taken with the patient in this process.

Abdul Rahman Hotak, the government's senior adviser on peace affairs, also said the ministry would act as a bridge and share the views and suggestions of religious scholars with relevant officials. He stated that this is possible when the religious scholars act in unison.

Sayed Fahim Sorosh, Senior Advisor to the State Ministry for Peace, stressed the importance of the role of the religious scholars in the peace process, saying that the religious scholars will make the peace process successful; Because they are affected by the war, and world experience shows that such process will be successful when the victims of the war participate in the peace process and the people of the society own and lead the process.

Mr. Sorosh added that the views and opinions of the religious scholars present are valuable and can pave the way for peace.

The meeting was a continuation of the consultative meetings of the State Ministry for Peace with various strata on the peace process.