Doha negotiators asked to declare truce first

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Hundreds of girls and women staged a rally in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday and asked intra-Afghan negotiators in Qatar to pave the way for ceasefire first.

The rally arranged by Powerful Women Network voiced their support for the ongoing talks in Doha.

The rally participants included girls, women, university students, teachers and civil society activists.

Muqaddis Salarzai, an organizer of the rally, said the aim of the rally was to support the peace talks.

She said: “Our aim is to back the talks between government and Taliban in Qatar and we ask both sides to declare ceasefire and agree on lasting peace.”

Mehbooba, an elderly woman who participated in the rally, said she lost her young son, an Afghan National Army (ANA) service member, to the conflict so she partook in the rally to demand peace.

Sana Noori said they called on peace negotiators that they should declare ceasefire first in order the dialogue succeeds.

She said continuation of war would derail the talks and both sides should be agree to ending the conflict.

sa/ma