October 21, 2006	Saturday	Ramazan 27, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Oct 20: Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali Khan has welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s proposal for holding a peace jirga to be attended by elders from both sides of the Durand Line and heads of state of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a press release, the ANP president said the proposed jirga should have full representation of civil society from both countries and it should not be confined to people handpicked by the two governments.

“Exclusion of the real stakeholders can undermine the very purpose of the peace jirga,” the press release said.

President Karzai has sent a letter to the ANP leader on efforts made by his government for peace and stability in the region.

According to the press release, Mr Karzai said in his letter that while the freshly established constitutional and democratic system remained the focus of terrorist attacks, their activities were also killing innocent people and destroying infrastructure on both sides of the border.

Mr Karzai had proposed jirgas along the Pakistan-Afghan border during a tripartite meeting at the White House. US President George Bush and President Gen Pervez Musharraf had agreed to the proposal.

“Terrorists do not enjoy any popular support inside Afghanistan and they only thrive on foreign support,” the press release quoted the Afghan president as saying.

He hoped that the proposed peace jirga would isolate the elements which were promoting violence and would provide an opportunity to the forces of peace to join hands for tranquillity in the entire region. He said the ANP with its long history of championing the cause of non-violence, peace and democracy would support the peace initiative.

PPI adds: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) secretary-general Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, MNA, on Friday said that Mr Karzai had sought JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s help for efforts being made to resolve problems faced by the Afghan people. In a letter to Maulana Fazl, Mr Karzai said his country had been facing war-like situation for decades.