New peace body head for Ghazni criticizes his predecessor

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Newly appointed head of the peace committee for southern Ghazni province on Monday said past efforts to reconcile Taliban rebels in the province were ‘ineffective.’

Mahmood Shah Ameri, who took over as the provincial High Peace Committee head last week, vowed ‘tangible’ efforts on his part to stimulate reconciliation and peace process in Ghazni.

“Nobody has worked effectively for peace in Ghazni in the past, there has been no strategy or plan to promote reconciliation,” he said.

Ameri said promoting peace did not mean asking Taliban to surrender but to urge them to renounce violence and cooperate with the government. “I have a new management and administration, we will work honestly for peace and stability.”

He asked the Taliban to stop violence in the country and cooperate in making the peace mission a success for the sake of Afghanistan’s development and prosperity.

The new top peace negotiator in Ghazni also urged people to cooperate with the government in bringing peace and stability.

Hameedullah Sarwari, a member of the Provincial Council, accused former head of the peace committee of negligence and not working hard for peace in the province. He asked the HPC to appoint dedicated and honest people to peace committees.

Some residents of Ghazni also lambasted the committee’s past leadership of doing little to promote peace and reconciliation in the province.

Mohammad Akram, a resident of Ghazni City, said unemployment had forced many youth into joining rebel ranks.

“The money spent on peace process can generate many jobs for the youth by launching a mega development project,” he said.

Khalil Hotak, former head of the peace committee, rejected allegations leveled against him and claimed he had worked a lot for peace and reconciliation in Ghazni.

He said as many as 20 Taliban men joined the peace process as a result of their continued efforts in Ghazni.

In the past, many government institutions, including the parliament, had accused the HPC of failing to achieve any major breakthrough in reconciliation with the Taliban.

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