November 26, 2001	Monday	Ramazan 10, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Nov 25: A representative jirga of Afghanistan’s Ahmadzai tribe has asked the United Nations Security Council, European Union and other international organisations to declare Kabul a de-militarized zone and deploy UN peacekeepers there and in other main cities.

The jirga fully supported the UN peace efforts at resolving the Afghan conflict including the formation of a broad-based national government and demanded of the international body to convene grand Loya Jirga in Kabul immediately.

The elders and notables of Ahmadzai tribe, one of the major Pakhtoon groups of Afghanistan, met in Attock at the residence of Haji Inayet Khan on Sunday to discuss the current situation of their war-battered country.

The jirga, attended by a large number of elders and notables of Ahmadzai tribe, issued an 11-point declaration, asking the Bonn conference participants to fulfil their national responsibilities at this crucial juncture to pave way for durable peace in Afghanistan.

The meeting backed the proposed Loya Jirga and asked the UN to give equal representation to all ethnic groups and tribal elders of Afghanistan to help them form a neutral broad-based government in Kabul.

The participants stressed that in the proposed Loya Jirga all the warrior groups should be demilitarised, adding that the militant groups should not have the right to include their armed men into the national military force of the country.

The elders also asked the international community to take steps to stop foreign interference in Afghanistan to avoid more bloodshed in the country.