Afghan violence victims want voice in peace talks

May 10, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

KABUL

Ahmad Shah knows more than most Afghans about the nation’s 30 years of bloodshed, repression and war: He lost his hands in a mine blast. His father died in an anti-government uprising. His brother was shot 30 times and killed by a rival. And Taliban thugs once beat him up even though he had no hands to punch back.

Shah, 46, was among scores of Afghans who spoke of their suffering at the hands of the Taliban and Soviet regimes at a “victim’s jirga” Sunday — a gathering billed as one of the first of its kind for victims to voice their concerns about the possibility of making peace with those who have perpetrated the violence throughout the years.

Legal advocates who organized Sunday’s conference are hoping the stories will put pressure on President Hamid Karzai, who is hosting a national peace assembly next month to seek a consensus on how to reconcile with insurgents and help end the war.

Karzai has said that he would accept back into the fold with any insurgent who renounces violence, severs ties with terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and respects the Afghan constitution. He has said he would even talk to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar if it would help end the more than eight-year-old war. Such prospects will be on the agenda when Karzai meets with officials in Washington today.

About 1,500 people from across Afghan society have been invited to attend the assembly to seek a consensus on a reconciliation plan. Some victims believe those responsible for the violence should be brought to justice, and want to deprive them of any chance of regaining positions of power.

The legal advocates hope to build public pressure for those goals. But ultimately political leaders such as Karzai will have final say on any reconciliation.