New year to bring peace & optimism, hopes Massoud

KABUL, beginning tomorrow, as a time of prosperity for the Afghan nation.

Ahmad Zia Massoud, addressing a gathering in the Paghman district of Kabul, urged the insurgents to renounce violence and sit across the negotiating table with government representatives.  

The Afghans desired lasting stability, reconstruction and good governance, but the goals could not be achieved if murder and mayhem continued in the country, the official said, calling bloodshed an unwholesome culture.

In line with public expectations, he hoped, the new year would bring optimism, reconstruction, economic growth and good governance. The fight against corruption in the country would be intensified, he promised.

Massoud called for the Taliban to give up the insurgency and drop opposition to the incumbent government. No extremist groups had been able to forcibly influence people’s ideology or impose itself on the Afghans, he argued.

He asked the rising generation, having a sense of civility and perfectly familiar with religious moderation, to help promote Islamic values.

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