A group of Logar residents, tribal elders and civil society activists at a ceremony in Pul-e-Alam city, the center of the province, on Wednesday said a good opportunity has been created for peace in the country and that the Afghan government and its international partners should expedite the process.

First, a ceasefire should be announced between the Afghan government and the Taliban and then an intra-Afghan peace talks should be held, the residents said.

The attendants of the gathering, meanwhile, asked the Afghan government and the United States to “make public” details of Qatar talks with Afghans.

The fifth round of Qatar talks between US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban members in Qatar ended after 16 days in mid-March where two sides agreed in draft on foreign forces withdrawal and counterterrorism assurances.  

“All Afghans are optimistic about peace and they want peace. They demand a ceasefire between the warring parties,” said Shah Delawar, a tribal elder in Logar. 

“The war should be stopped. We all want peace,” said Ahmad, a tribal elder from Logar.

A civil society activist from Logar, Qudratullah Sadat, who addressed the gathering, said that they are worried about an increase in insecurity in their areas as the weather is changing.

“We call on government and the Taliban to stop conflicts,” Sadat said. 

“We want the government and the Taliban to announce a permanent ceasefire. The peace talks are ongoing, and the ongoing fighting will affect the efforts,” said Kamran Ahmadzai, a civil society activist from Logar. 

This comes after the Afghan government has formed a Reconciliation Leadership Council which is working to form a delegation for meeting with the Taliban in Doha next week.