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HPC Urges Pakistani Ulema to Assure Attending Indonesia Peace Conference
Afghanistan High Peace Council (HPC) says expecting the Pakistani religious scholars’ “positive” response regarding the Indonesia peace conference which is due to be held later this month.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Kabul, Mohammad Akram Khpalwak, head of HPC’s secretariat said that the meeting is expected to be held at the end of this month. But he said Pakistani Ulema yet to announce their participation in the conference.
“I am sure that 1397 will be a year of peace and negotiations for Afghanistan. We are waiting for their [Pakistani religious scholars] positive response and with that, we hope the Taliban also hold themselves responsible,” he said.
The conference of religious scholars from Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan to be hosted by Indonesia, aimed at seeking a solution to the “imposed” war in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Taliban has called on the involved parties to boycott the Indonesia peace talks.
The group posted a statement on its website, describing the Indonesian-led peace process as “deceptive” and accusing their enemies of trying to trick Islamic scholars into gathering in Jakarta.
“Do not afford an opportunity to the invading infidels in Afghanistan to misuse your name and participation in this conference as means of attaining their malicious objective,” it said.
However, the Ulema Council of Afghanistan stressed on attending the meeting.
Anayatullah Baligh, a member of the council said that the will make the most use of every possible option for bringing peace in the country.
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Girls’ education is a ‘vital issue’ for Afghanistan: Karzai
Former president Hamid Karzai said in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador and special representative, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that education of girls was a “vital issue” for Afghanistan.
Karzai said he appreciated Iran’s cooperation and its standing with the Afghan people, especially Iran’s contributions to education in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Karzai said peace and stability in the region are in the interest of all regional countries.
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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.
Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.
The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.
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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani
Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.
Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.
“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.
He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.
“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.
Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.
“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.
Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”
However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.
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