Afghan activist: We want a country of peace

Yesterday, all trace of the group of peace activities walking on a 150 km journey through Taliban territories were lost. The disappearance of the comrades could be a good sign of opening to dialogue. Pacifist: "We want to live in a safe country, let our children go to school".

Kabul (AsiaNews) - "I'm fine, but I have no more news of 25 comrades who were marching in the territories controlled by the Taliban,” Bacha Khan Muladad, head of public relations for the "People's Peace Movement" (PPM), a group of Afghan peace activists tells AsiaNews.

Courageously, along with a dog and a child, about thirty of them set off towards the Taliban stronghold in Musa Qala last week to bring a message of peace, challenging the heat and physical exhaustion exacerbated by fasting Ramadan. Yesterday, however, Mr. Muladad, "25 of my friends were taken by the Taliban and we don't know where they were taken".

Muladad is tired, after a day spent searching for news from his companions and answering the phone calls of so many people worried about their fate. He also apologizes for his "poor English", but is keen to talk about the group's initiative. Because the hope of a better life, "like the one you have in your country", he says, is great.

He is in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, far from the comrades who were in the area of ​​Nawzadrod at the time of the kidnapping, a few kilometers from the destination. The group had stopped because the previous day the Taliban had taken four more people. Yesterday the people held and taken to an unknown location, rose to 25.

The news of the disappearance of the comrades does worry him, however it could be a good sign of the Taliban's desire to establish a dialogue of peace. The initiative of the group was launched precisely with this objective: to try to reconstruct a way for negotiations after the numerous failures of international diplomats, especially from the US.

Their march is not a sporadic event. For over a year, activists have been carrying their message of peace and reconciliation throughout Afghanistan. In total, Muladad reports, "we walked about 1,700 kilometers". The reason is only one: "We want to shout "peace" out loud. The world must know that the people of Afghanistan want peace, not war. We want to live in a good country, like many others where people live happily. We want our children to receive a good education. We hope that peace returns and we are working towards this ".

For all this, they are willing to meet the Taliban, even at the expense of their own lives. "The Taliban - he concludes - as well as the soldiers of the national army, are our brothers. We want peace between the Taliban and the government ".