A Peace Consultative Meeting with War Victims was held on the Occasion of International Day of Peace

The Peace Consultation Meeting with War Victims on the occasion of the 21st of September, International Day of Peace, was held with the presence of First Lady, Bibi Gul Ghani, and the participation of officials of the High Council for National Reconciliation, cabinet members, members of the National Assembly, senior officials of the State Ministry for Peace and a number of war victims in Chaharchenar Palace of the Presidential Palace.

Dr. Alema, Deputy Minister of Human Rights and Civil Society at the State Ministry for Peace, said in her opening remarks that the State Ministry for Peace wants to guarantee the participation and inclusion of war victims in the peace process by establishing efficient structures and mechanisms in cooperation with institutions supporting the victims of war.

Referring to the importance of the views of war victims in the peace process, she said that the parties involved in the war should know the rights of the victims and the victims should benefit more from the provisions of the agreement than others.

While explaining the purpose of the meeting, Dr. Alema said that the meeting was held to strengthen the participation and inclusion of war victims and to include victims in peace policies in order to ensure a lasting and dignified peace.

Mawlawi Ataurahman Salim, Deputy Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said at the meeting that it was necessary to listen to the thoughts, advice and opinions of the war victims and to make the best use of these advice and ideas.

Emphasizing that the peace process belongs to all the people of Afghanistan, he said that the High Council for National Reconciliation with the State Ministry for Peace and the negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, besides being in charge of this process, respect the opinions, suggestions and consolidated plans of the people and they will consider them in their decision makings.

Mawlawi Salim also called peace a good opportunity, saying that the negotiations are an opportunity for the peace process and that’s up to us that how we use this historic opportunity.

Indicating that there are challenges ahead of the negotiations, he said that instead of criticizing and destroying, the whole nation should support the negotiating team in every possible way.

Aziz-ur-Rahman Rafiee, Executive Director of Afghan Civil Society Forum (ACSF), then hosted a panel discussion “Narrative of War Victims” in the presence of war victims' representatives. He said that no one could better explain the story of people's pain than a victim.

Mr. Rafiee stressed that the presence and participation of war victims in the peace process and peace negotiations is an important element addressed in national and international principles. Although the Afghan people are all victims of war, but the direct war victims are on both sides. They are equal and there is no difference between them.

In the first panel, each of the victims told their personal stories.

In this panel, Lailuma from Helmand, who lost her husband and children in an explosion, said, "I ceasefire at any cost. War is enough.” She said that her husband and children were martyred in an explosion without any guilt. Lailuma asked why we are being killed. What have we done?

Susan Amiri, a war victim, in the panel said that all Afghans are victims of war. As a member of the victim's family, I have come today to express my pain so that it will be recorded in the history that at what cost we have achieved peace.

Saddam Afghan, another war victim said that we have all given millions of martyrs and wounded. We have a shared pain and the enemy is also known. Our enemy is war and we want peace.

Yaser Qubadiyan, a war victim, also stressed the need for justice, saying war criminals should not be forgotten.

In the second panel, Shahrzad Akbar, Chairperson for the Independent Human Rights Commission, Mohammad Ashraf Bakhtiyari, University Professor and member of the Transitional Justice Group, Osman Tariq, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, discussed the rights, role and inclusion of war victims in the peace process.

Shahrzad Akbar, Chairperson for the Independent Human Rights Commission, said that it would be difficult to achieve peace if we did not put victims at the center of the peace debate and their rights are not given to them.

To heal the pains and reconciliation, the victims need to consider themselves part of the peace process, and in the peace process, the rights of the victims and human rights must be addressed.

Ms. Akbar also stressed the need to create a structure or mechanism to prevent the recurrence of conflict and the growth of a culture of revenge.

She also pointed the issue of war victims as an opportunity for the two sides to negotiate, saying that the victims' discussion would take the issue from a political perspective to a humanitarian one, and that could be an opportunity for both sides; Because both sides have made sacrifices.

She also said that the agenda of peace negotiations should discuss the rights of war victims and identify institutions where victims' representatives sit down to talk directly with the negotiating teams.

Mohammad Ashraf Bakhtiyari, a University Professor and Member of the Transitional Justice Group said that the people are optimistic that consensus has been created for peace; But there are concerns that war victims are not participating in the peace process. He also stressed the need for a ceasefire.

Osman Tariq, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, also said that in the peace agreement the war criminals and victims should not be forgotten.

He also said that we must work for social peace in the villages and religious scholars can cooperate in this regard.

After hearing the stories of the war victims, First Lady, Bibi Gul Ghani said that peace would take a long time; We must not accept the imposed peace as war has been imposed.

She also stressed that a peace must come that meets the will of the Afghan people and meets the needs of the people. Also, the causes of the war must be identified first and a solution must be found.

Addressing the war victims, the First Lady said that your sacrifices have not been wasted and that she hopes that a bright future will be built on these sacrifices.

The consultation meeting with war victims was held on the occasion of International Day of Peace by the State Ministry for Peace and the Office of the First Lady.