Hezb-e Islami Peace Proposal

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Hezbi Islami Peace Proposal (not dated)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Introduction:

This proposal details the procedure and mechanism aimed at the creation of an authoritative and agreed-upon body for peace and broad political consensus one that includes all circles i.e. government, political entities within and outside the government, prominent and influential personalities, administer the peace process and initiation and expedition of inter Afghan peace negotiations, propose a solution for the termination of war and restoration of durable peace, eliminate the internal and external cause of war, withdrawal of foreign troops, guarantee of independence and freedom of the country, national sovereignty, reparations for the war and the damages it has imposed on the country. This proposal has been put forward by Hezbi Islami which includes the following articles:

1) Political Consensus on this side of the conflict:
In order to achieve this goal we have to apply the following methods:

i) If we had a few powerful and nationwide parties rather than small and tribal-based parties, the easiest and quickest means of reaching a national consensus would be an agreement between those prominent and influential parties. Unfortunately, based on some justifiable reasons and ground realities, reaching a national consensus through such a method is difficult and somehow impractical:

– The lack of a point of reference with the authority of identifying and certifying such prominent and influential parties whose decisions would be binding and agreeable to all.

– The absence of agreed-upon criteria to identify, determine and segregate national parties from other more local ones.

– Detrimental efforts by influential internal and external circles that oppose the active role of political parties including the creation of obstacles in order to limit their due role in national issues.

ii) The second method of arrival to a national consensus is the creation of an inclusive body made up of political, religious, ethnic, civil societies, tribal councils and all prominent individuals and societies that represent a considerable portion of the populace. With regard to that, we are also faced with the problem of the absence of an acceptable mechanism and authority for identifying such influential entities. The lack of agreed-upon definition for the identification of those influential individuals and circles makes these options pseudo-impossible.

iii) Three election teams (Peace and Islamic Justice, State Builders, Stability and Integration) in addition to influential personalities of the previous government under the leadership of the honourable Ex-President Hamid Karzai. These four groups somehow are inclusive of most influential personalities, parties, civil societies and tribal councils.

These four groups are capable of representing the entirety of the political and social spheres whilst advocating their political views, ideologies and opinions. An agreement and political consensus amongst these four groups is possible and more likely compared to other possible methods. All those with the intention of active participation in national issues including civil societies, tribal council, media representatives, sectoral unions, youth organisations, prominent personalities, politicians, intellectuals and writers and religious leaders have aligned with and endorsed the stances of these four groups. With regard to peace, they can also coordinate their stance and can reach consensus easily.

As an agreement and consensus were reached between the two running election teams in 2014 elections which resulted in the formation of the national unity government that continued until now, although this agreement had no constitutional legality and was not a successful experience, however, it resulted in the containment of the dispute between the two teams. This was achieved through the consensus of the influential members and groups of both teams.

2) The formation of an authoritative body accepted to all for the leadership and management of the peace process:

Since peace is a vital and crucial national issue and belongs to all citizens of the nation, it should not be monopolized by any entity, internal or external. Therefore, it is pertinent that an agreeable authoritative and national body should come to exist so that it may plan and decide the structure and substance of negotiations in the pursuit of peace.

Deliberation and agreement between the four groups (three election teams and Ex- president Hamid Karzai) can pave the way for national consensus and synthesis opinions presented particularly in the case of the appointment of a negotiating team, preliminary issues like cease-fire with the opposite side of the conflict, choosing the time and venue of the peace talks and its modality. But with regards to important and crucial issues concerning the future of the country like the constitution, interim government and its composition, national and foreign policies, withdrawal of foreign troops specifically with regards to its timing and modality, compensation and reparations for the damages caused by those who imposed the war on the country, the drafting of a unanimous peace agreement and other similar matters would be decided by wider and greater circles. These four groups would agree on the formation of an advisory larger body (High Council for Reconciliation) which would include all influential circles. This council would have absolute authority in the final decisions over the important issues aforementioned. The decisions would be binding and none would possess the right to VETO.

3) Peace proposal:
As we were faced with a lack of a point of reference and authority for such pertinent

national issues, at the same time we face the absence of an encompassing peace proposal making it necessary that the four groups convene and propose such a unanimous and practical peace proposal that synthesises differing opinions. This proposal, in our opinion, would need to be inclusive of the following important and principle articles:

i) Emphasis on the inter-Afghan nature of the talks in the absence of any foreign presence or mediation. The talks would occur either within Afghanistan or at an impartial country; one that had no direct involvement in the Afghan war, did not support any internal or external parties to the conflict and holds no ill-will towards Afghanistan.

ii) The honest pledge of all groups involved over the following matters:

• –  An agreement over a ceasefire, one that is upheld honestly and with great seriousness.
• –  The unconditional and speedy release of all captives despite their political or combatstatus.
• –  Assimilating and amalgamating combatants into the national security apparatus at theearliest. Until such assimilation is done, ensuring that a monetary compensation structure is guaranteeing the combatant groups financial needs honourably. The lapse of attention to such a matter would present an opportunity for internal and external spoilers to find cheap mercenaries within these combatants to prolong the conflict within the country.
• –  A firm resolution that detrimental political competition is ceased, not to repeat bitter and bloody past experiences, avoiding illegitimate means to seize power, respecting the right to suffrage of the people and regard their selection with respect. No other means to power that disrespects the will of the people should be regarded as legitimate and should be abandoned.
• –  Defending the freedom, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and religious and national values of the country. No interference within such matters should be tolerated.
• –  Maintaining the religious identity of the country whilst resisting any cultural assault that collides with our religious and national values.
• –  Guaranteeing non-interference of any party or individual, no matter the guise, in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Resolving to get the country out of proxy wars. Not allowing Afghanistan to become a ground for regional or international political or military rivalry and competition. Insisting on adopting a balanced non-aligned foreign policy. Avoiding reliance on one global power against the other.
• –  Mutual pledge of non-use of force or violence in pursuit of power or monopolizing it.
• –  The negotiating team formed by the four groups would have to be limited in size, their authority must be kept in check and should not overstep the mandate offered to them.iii) Agreeing over the formation of an interim government with the following specifics:

• –  The president and cabinet would comprise of righteous, impartial, well-rounded individuals who have had no hand in the civil war nor conspired with foreign troops. These individuals would not contest any future elections nor associate themselves with any electoral team.
• –  The principal duty of this government, during its tenure, is the implementation of the peace agreement, conducting elections, administration of the state and ensuring secure repatriation and resettlement of refugees and internally displaced people.
• –  The tenure of the interim government will only extend until the elections are held. Under no circumstances should its tenure be longer than a year.
• –  The interim government is tasked with conducting inclusive fair and transparent elections. Broad participation of refugees and internally displaced people should be facilitated such that no Afghan is deprived of their right to suffrage. If due to technical reasons, the resettlement of refugees was not achieved until such an election, alternative arrangements should be made to ensure their participation in the elections.It should be noted that the primary purpose of this political consensus is to provide a united base of these negotiations such that its process is mature and fruitful. There are no ulterior motives involved.In the earlier stages of the negotiations, the main concern is not that of the division of power nor the structure of a future government, the sole purpose is to reach political consensus on our side whilst reconciling and reaching a ceasefire agreement with the opposite side. The issue of division of power should be put aside for now. We should not be concerned with the division of power during or after the transitional stage nor should it dictate our plan. Only the constitution should define the system and the legitimate path to power. All individuals, groups and factions should be appointed by the people and through elections rather than through conspiracy.Any peace agreement must guarantee the right of the nation to self-determination, to have its political system reflect its values, to elect its representatives based on merit, the independence of the state, to preserve and strengthen national unity and to guarantee the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country.Hezbi Islami Afghanistan