Afghan President calls for lasting national peace

Kabul, Aug 11 (IANS) Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Sunday called for lasting national peace in his war-torn country.Addressing the nation after performing Eid al-Adha prayers at the Presidential Palace, the Ghani stated that "Afghans want to embrace lasting and national peace" that could ensure the honour and dignity of the people, reports Xinhua news agency.During Eid al-Adha, the largest annual religious festival observed on Sunday, Afghans offered their prayers amid tight security in Kabul and other cities and so far no unpleasant incident has been reported.Ghani also noted that holding presidential election was essential and the government has taken all preparations for the polling scheduled for September 28.The President also called for Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace talks, emphasizing that no talks could deliver result in the absence of Afghan government's delegation.
--IANS ksk