Provincial government officials, local leaders and members of Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team gathered Feb. 22-24 for an interactive seminar to discuss a peaceful way ahead for Farah Province.
The 60 participants in the “Invitation to Peace” seminar discussed Afghanistan’s peaceful historical, cultural and religious roots and how peace can spread throughout Farah Province via the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP), an Afghan government-led program that gives insurgents the opportunity to peacefully rejoin Afghan society, said Lt. Col. Hussain Shulgari, an Afghan National Army operations officer who coordinated the three-day event.
“Peace brings prosperity,” Shulgari said. “If we have peace, we can improve every part of our lives, our society and our country. It’s time everyone comes together to stop this fighting.”
The seminar was a success and the group agreed information about APRP needs to reach the more rural communities of Farah, Shulgari said.
“Peace should start in the family and spread to the community,” said Amir Mohammad Aiyubi, the head of Farah’s mujahedeen shura. “This message of peace needs to get out of Farah City and into the smallest villages. Moving forward in peace is what is needed now.”
At the end of the seminar, the group chose a 10-person committee to carry out the task of spreading the word about APRP throughout the districts in Farah.
“It’s so important to push this information to every district to have a strong reintegration program,” Shulgari said. “The first step is done; we are now united to make this happen.”
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