KHOST - Religious leaders in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Khost called for full support to the peace efforts made by the Government of Afghanistan.

Some 60 leaders from several districts across the province made their voices heard at the event, calling for greater engagement from the religious community and a wider discussion about the current peace initiatives and the role of clerics in them.

Maulavi Abdul Qudos, a cleric from the Lakan area of Khost city, suggested that the government should work closely with religious leaders for the most positive results. Other participants suggested that religious scholars play a more prominent role in helping to foster peace in Afghan society.

Maulavi Shah Mohammad, the head of Khost’s Ulema Council, called on government leaders to work with influential clerics for peace. And Maulavi Sharafuddin, another cleric, said religious scholars have always played a crucial role in supporting government initiatives by convincing people, at the community level, to participate in national democratic processes.

In addition to facilitating this event in Khost, the UNAMA field office in Gardez has supported similar events in Paktya and Paktika provinces, where clerics have similarly discussed peace initiatives and the role they can play in them.

UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights.