KABUL - Some Meshrano Jirga or Senate members on Sunday said Afghan politicians’ conference in Pakistan was useless absent government representatives, while some others hoped it would encourage Islamabad’s honesty.
A day earlier, Afghan politicians including Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Anwarul Haq Ahadi, Hamid Gilani, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Latif Pedram, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Ahmad Wali Massoud and some others attended a conference about the Afghan peace process in Pakistan’s Lahore city.
The meeting continues today but the Taliban, who were also invited, did not attend it.
Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, Meshrano Jirga chairman, told today’ session of the upper house that any efforts made for the Afghan peace should be led by the Afghan government.
“We suspect Pakistan’s efforts for peace because they supported terrorists and figures who fought against the Afghan government,” he said.
He said Afghan government’s representatives had to participate in the meeting in Pakistan and politicians should also attended it in agreement with the government.
“If this meeting is between the two governments, then there is need for government representatives to be there, but if the meeting is only for some politicians then the government should have stopped”, he said.
Muslimyar added such meetings without participation of government officials were unproductive.
Haseebullah Kalimzai, a senator, pointing to Afghan politicians attending the Lahore Conference, said, “We hope our politicians would not prefer national interests over personal interests, you were and are still part of this government, so you should not forget it, any efforts for peace would end up unproductive unless the government appoints a committee for talks with the Taliban.”
He said it was responsibility of the government to stop unproductive meetings hosted abroad about Afghanistan.
However, first deputy Senate chairman, Mohammad Alam Ezdyar, talking about the Lahore Conference, said, “We always criticize Pakistan for its interference in Afghanistan and supporting terrorists, but we hope participants of this meeting would be able to encourage this country to be honest about the Afghan peace process.  (Pajhwok)