The press office of the Meshrano Jirga

March 7, 2021

In the first plenary session of the Meshrano Jirga, which was chaired by Fazl Hadi Muslim yar, the Speaker of the House, and Mohammad Alam Ezad Yar, the first deputy Speaker, the current issues, including the peace process were discussed and the secretary of the House were elected.

At the beginning of the session, the Speaker and the First Deputy expressed their gratitude for the active contribution of the members of the House in the inauguration of the Parliament and the election of the Administrative Board of the Meshrano Jirga and the Administrative Board of the Commissions and also thanked the Meshrano Jirga’s Secretariat for providing facilities in this regard and providing timely information.

A number of senators, called the establishment of peace a serious need of the people, they said that the government concluded peace talks with its opponents, the government would need to step up its efforts to reach a national consensus among politicians and to gain a common position in the region, because Zalmai Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, recently met with a number of government and security officials; But no consultation has taken place with the members of the Meshrano Jirga, and this House, which represents the people, has a responsibility to coordinate efforts with other institutions to bring peace. Commenting on a number of senators’ comments on Zalmai Khalilzad, Special Representative of the Secretary of State, Fazl Hadi Muslim yar said that Khalilzad represented the United States and was working for that country. During this period, he has always tried to prefer the opponents of the system to the existing system, but the Senate, as representatives of the people, has worked and continues to work for the honor and stability of the country, and believes that any external efforts and decisions, without the advice of the real representatives of the people, will not have the desired results.

Similarly, a number of senators expressed their views on the possibility of droughts in the country due to the lack of snow and rain and its adverse effects on farmers, emphasizing that the responsible institutions should address the problems of citizens, especially residents of Kandahar province who are most affected by water shortages.

Furthermore, during the session, the First Deputy Speaker and other members congratulated all women, especially the suffering women of Afghanistan, on International Women's Day on March 8, and while releasing a message in this regard, they emphasized that the Meshrano Jirga, in order to enforce the rights of this part of the society, devotes its efforts within the framework of the teachings of Islam and the applicable laws.

Moreover, proposing adjustments to the internal duties of the Meshrano Jirga, concerns about rising fuel prices due to a lack of strategic reserves, the Taliban's extensive preparations with the help of foreign intelligence to escalate the spring war, a reminder of the peaceful march of Hezb-e-Islami supporters and emphasizing on the government's understanding with this party, expressing condolences over the martyrdom of the Chief of the National Security Prosecutor's Office of Helmand Province and other martyrs of recent events due to war and insecurity, and other issues were raised in the session.

In summing up the raised issues, the first deputy of the Senate recalled the recent terrorist incidents in different parts of the country and said that spring is approaching and the evidence shows that terrorist groups are trying to intensify the war and the government should take necessary measures to suppress these terrorists. He added that the Meshrano Jirga is determined to question the security sector officials in one of the sessions for being aware of the enemy's plans and repelling the armed terrorist attacks. The first deputy of the House considered water shortage as a serious problem this year and said that the groundwater in Kabul city is decreasing and the relevant officials should pay special attention to the farmers in order to get out of this problem.

Furthermore. Referring to the peace talks, Ezad Yar said that the current peace process will not work unless there is a national and regional consensus on peace, adding that a quadripartite conference between the United States, China, Russia, and Pakistan on Afghanistan will be held in the near future, and we expect that in this conference, a suitable solution will be sought. Thus, in the continuation of today's session, the election for the secretary post was held between the senators of Tayeb Atta and Rahela Dostum. As a result of free and open elections, Rahela Dostum, an appointed senator, was elected as the secretary of the Meshrano Jirga with 42 votes out of 57 votes, therefore, the members of the administrative board of this Meshrano Jirga were completed.