QASED Non-government Research Organization
Peace in Afghanistan is in its critical stage. Not only the domestic actors need satisfaction, dozens of countries also want to visualise their “Afghanistan without a War” or the war will continue. Unfortunately, it is the grim reality that Afghans are the victims of the prolonged war.
A well-known scholar and peace activist, Dr. Abdulbaqi Amin was assassinated in Kabul days before the commencement of the intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha of Qatar. Shaheed Dr. Amin, the former director general of Qased Strategic Research Centre, was a member of “Afghanistan Future Thought Forum”, an initiative of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), based in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with a group of Afghan intellectuals and research institutes. The Forum was established to facilitate a major platform for nonpartisan and cutting-edge analysis on Afghanistan’s future and lasting peace by leading the Afghan figures close to political parties that can support the ongoing peace processes and ensure more sustainable pathways to peace.
There was wide range condemnation about this heinous criminal act and no party claimed responsibility for his killing. He is widely missed.
Peace efforts in Afghanistan have a long history and go back to four decades soon after the war started. Almost at all times, peace efforts went parallel to the heavy use of military force and occasionally, used as an alternative tool to serve hidden agendas of the ruling elites. More recently, peace efforts increased when President Ashraf Ghani’s 2014 election manifesto heavily emphasised on peace with the opposition parties. Since then the peace agreement between Hezb-e-Islami and the Afghan government was one of the achievements of these efforts. But efforts for direct peace talks with the Taliban were more complicated. These efforts, however, finally resulted in a peace deal signed between the US and the Taliban in early 2020; but the civil war continued.
As the direct intra-Afghan peace talks are commencing, all parties are desperately calling for a lasting and inclusive ceasefire. This is widely believed that the current war has a proxy nature with no winner, and thus, the commencement of the inclusive intra-Afghan peace talks is a much needed stage in order to bring peace. However, the spoilers of peace are still trying to disrupt the process and make the war to continue. We call on all parties to make serious efforts to end the ongoing bloody war.
Whilst praying for the soul of Shaheed Dr. Abdulbaqi Amin, I wish for a prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan.
Abdulbari Kabiri
Acting Director of Qased Strategic Research Center
