Afghan President Hamid
Karzai has advised Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria to sheath their swords.
He gave the advice when Nigeria’s Ambassador to
Afghanistan, Dauda Danladi presented his letters of credence in Kabul, the
Afghan capital recently. He called on the Boko Haram members to lay down their
arms if they are true Muslims and embrace amnesty offered by federal government
noting that no religion preaches violence.
“Boko Haram should stop burning schools, Mosques,
Churches in the name of Islam. You should not destroy your country if you are
true Muslims. You should protect lives because in Islam if you kill one, it is
as if you have killed the whole of humanity and if you save life, it is as if
you have saved the whole of humanity”. He said Afghans have seen the futility
of violence and put behind them the ugly past and have now embraced peace
through dialogue.
He recalled the activities of the Taliban’s in
Afghanistan saying it was externally motivated and the people were used by the
Taliban’s to commit suicide bombing without knowledge that they will be
committing suicide. He said in most cases suicide bombers were given jackets
containing bombs and on wearing it somebody who will follow them will detonate
it on reaching their targets. Afghanistan First Deputy Minister of Defense,
Saran Pooh-Enayatullah Nazari while receiving Ambassador Danladi advised Boko
Haram members not to or emulate the Taliban’s because they were supported by
external forces to cause problems which made more than half a million orphans
and widows in Afghanistan.
Adding that Afghanistan lost over two million
people, while one million were disabled, Nazari hoped his country’s experience
should be a lesson to fundamentalists in Nigeria to stop any actions that will
destabilize the country.
“War is not good. It is like a flame and will
destroy both the good and the bad. Whoever makes efforts to stop it, God will
reward him and who so ever try to aggravate it will destroy everything and will
be responsible before God,” Nazari stated.
He suggested the need for Nigeria to open its doors
for Afghan young officers to attend some basic training in Nigeria. He hoped
that Nigeria would not go through the same problem experienced by Afghanistan
before embracing peace through dialogue. The Deputy Chairman of the Higher
Peace Council, Abdul Hakim Mujahid who was a former Taliban Ambassador to
United Nations also said that contrary to the perception of many, Islam is the
religion of peace.
While calling for religious tolerance, Mujahid
quoted the Holy Quran Chapter 8 verse 72 which stated that “ …We have created
you into different nations and tribes so that you can understand one another,
the best among you in the sight of Allah is he who fears Allah most”.
He said if Allah wanted to make all nations Muslims
or Christians, he has the power to do so, but noted that in his wisdom, he
chose not to do so. Danladi who is Nigeria’s nonresident ambassador to
Afghanistan commended the efforts of President Karzai’s administration.
He assured that Nigeria’s transformation agenda
initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan on the international scene is global
peace and economic diplomacy; He said issues on manpower development, capacity
building and institutional strengthening will be forwarded to relevant
authorities in Nigeria for consideration under a conducive atmosphere.
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