Consultative Meeting of the Negotiating Team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with Various Strata of Balkh Province

Following the series of consultative meetings of the Negotiating Team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with various strata, an online meeting was held today by the State Ministry for Peace in the presence of Mawlawi Atta-ur-Rahman Saleem, Deputy Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation with different strata of Balkh province.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mohammad Farhad Azimi, Governor of Balkh said that the Afghan people are at a critical juncture and the only solution is peace. He said that unconditional peace is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan. The conditions set by the people are ceasefire, the preservation of the achievements of the past 20 years, the protection of the rights of war victims, and the protection of the inalienable rights of the Afghan armed forces. He stressed that if these conditions are not met, the history will be repeated.
Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi, State Minister for Peace and a member of the negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, said at the meeting that the State Ministry for Peace is a platform for connecting all different sections of society with structures active in the field of peace. He stressed that the ministry is working to connect different strata with the negotiating team so that the people are directly informed about the issues and developments in the peace process. He said that the questions and issues raised in these meetings are collected and documented and shared with the negotiating team and relevant officials.
Mawlawi Atta-ur-Rahman Saleem, Deputy Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation said that those in charge and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as a whole should be able to make the most of the current opportunity to resolve the crisis. The people of Afghanistan, the countries of the region, the scholars of the Islamic world and the whole world are in a consensus to end the crisis; Therefore, we must now hear more from the people.
Mohammad Afzal Hadid, head of the Balkh Provincial Council, called for sharing the information of the negotiations with the people, stressing that the government and members of the negotiating team have the support of the people in the peace process and that the achievements of the Afghan people in recent years should be preserved. He called peace an important need of the people, but stressed in having flexibility and patience in advancing the process.
Khalid Noor, member of the negotiating team, also briefed on recent developments in the peace negotiations. He said that the negotiating team acted responsibly and tried not interrupt the process from their side. But at the same time, the members of the negotiating team are committed to safeguarding the achievements and values of the people, and therefore the negotiations are time consuming.
Habiba Sarabi, member of the negotiating team, said that the rights of victims are being addressed strategically. Ms. Sarabi emphasized that the members of the negotiating team, as representatives of the people, defend the civil rights of all Afghans.
Referring to the unity and agreement among the members of the negotiating team, Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi said that they are working with the aim of creating a dignified, lasting and real peace.
The people of Balkh then raised their concerns and questions to the members of the negotiating team. The participation of women, youth, minorities and war victims in the peace and negotiation process, ceasefire, women's rights, ongoing violence, the challenges of the negotiation process and the facilitation of negotiations were the main discussed topics.
Ghulam Farooq Majrooh, member of the negotiating team, assured that they would move forward with unity, patience and firm steps. He stressed that the members of the delegation will do their utmost to defend the achievements of the people, the Islamic Republic, the army and the national police, women's rights and human rights. He said that the team has worked systematically to address the ceasefire in the negotiations. The delegation has a clear plan and they have considered the relevant practical measures.
Mr. Majrooh also stressed that the rights, presence and role of people with disabilities are on the agenda of the negotiations and that efforts are being made to protect rights that they deserve.
General. Ayub Ansari, another member of the negotiating team, said that we have entered into negotiations earnestly and we have paid attention to the procedures of the meetings because of its sensitivity. We have consulted with the people and by entering the discussion on the agenda, we will continue the consultation process.
In response to youth concerns about peace negotiations, Khalid Noor said that any agreement reached would have a greater impact on youth lives, that is why we have made a clear statement about current Afghanistan. We do not want to go backwards and the younger generation does not want this.
On the other hand, Mawlawi Atta-ur-Rahman Saleem, Deputy Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation said that the council is committed to providing a dignified role for the victims of the war and that they will not be ignored. He said that there is a national consensus on the peace process and that no voice against peace has been and will not be raised inside Afghanistan. He called the holding of consultative meetings of the members of the negotiating team with various strata important for strengthening of this consensus. He also said that work is underway to strengthen the regional consensus in this regard.
Abdul Khaliq Balakarzai, Deputy Minister for Coordination of Tribes and Institutions of the State Ministry for Peace, said at the end of the meeting that such consultative meetings would continue to provide a platform for the exchange of views and opinions and advice of the people. He called the State Ministry for Peace the point of contact between officials and various strata and said that there is more focus on provinces.  
The meeting, which was also attended by Samiullah Paiwand, Governance Advisor to the Independent Directorate of Local Governance, 48 people from various strata of Balkh province participated including the provincial council, religious scholars, university professors, influential people, representatives of civil society organizations, freedom of speech activists, women's rights defenders, peace activists and students.