Salahuddin Rabbani, head of Jamiat-e-Islami party of Afghanistan, on Friday, expressed his opposition to the peace talks framework and said it requires inclusivity and that it will not help the country to achieve peace.  

Rabbani, who has also served as head of the High Peace Council during former president Hamid Karzai’s administration, made the remarks at an event on the commemoration of the 9th death anniversary of his father former president Burhanuddin Rabbani—who was assassinated in a suicide bombing at his residence in Kabul in 2011. 

Rabbani said the centralized governance system has failed and that the peace process also provides an opportunity to discuss the current political system. 

“Jamiat-e-Islami party of Afghanistan has never opposed the peace process,” Rabbani said, adding that “but it does not agree with the current framework for the peace negotiations because we believe that it is imperfect.” 

The direct peace negotiations between the negotiating teams of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban are about to start in Doha as the two sides have held few meetings in small-group set up called the “contact groups” to discuss rules and regulations for direct talks. The opening ceremony of the negotiations was held in Doha on September 12 in which Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation also attended. According to TOLOnews reporter Karim Amini, the “contact groups” will hold their next meeting on Saturday. 

But Abdullah Abdullah, who spoke at the same event, said that any attempt to prolong the war in the country will be a “big mistake,” suggesting that the current process provides a unique opportunity for peace. 

“This is a unique opportunity for all Afghans. It is a wrong calculation if someone thinks that there will be a chance for another war,” said Abdullah, showing his optimism for the results of the intra-Afghan negotiations. 

Former president Hamid Karzai and Mohammad Mohaqiq, the head of Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami (the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan) also addressed the gathering and called on the warring sides to reach a peace agreement and asked the nation to embrace unity and patience. 

“I wish our beloved professor (Rabbani) was here today to witness the start of the (peace) negotiations,” said Karzai. 

“We will not be able to be a role model for other nations if we are not able to resolve the issue of Shia and Sunni in Afghanistan, if we cannot resolve issues among ethnicities, or if we don’t come together and don’t have patience and tolerance,” Mohaqiq said.  

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said Afghanistan’s achievements of the last 19 years will be preserved and protected in the peace negotiations. 

“Even if you fight for a hundred years, again you should come under the same roof and you have to negotiate. The more blood you spill, the more your sins are increased,” said Saleh, indirectly criticizing the Taliban for continuing their violence. 

The politicians at the ceremony called for unity among Afghans and asked their support to peace efforts.