My advice for Boko Haram - Afghan President

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has advised Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria to sheath their swords.

“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 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.

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.