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Home > General Info > Governance > Reintegration > High Peace Council

Afghan High Peace Council. The Afghan High Peace Council is composed of a number of influential members of Afghan society to include politicians, statesmen, military, academic and other walks of life. The purpose of the High Peace Council is to seek reconciliation with insurgents to end the war. Visit the official website of the Afghan High Peace Council.

Establishment of High Peace Council.  The creation of the High Peace Council was endorsed by Afghan tribal leaders at an Afghan National Consultive Peace Jirga (NCPJ) in June 2-4, 2010. The three-day national peace jirga or peace conference had nearly 1,500 attendees composed of government officials, tribal leaders and elders, and other representatives. The High Peace Council was created in September 2010.

International Community Support.  The international community has supported the council and funded its activities of reconciliation and reintegration.

Head of High Peace Council.  Burhanuddin Rabbini was the head of the Afghan High Peace Council until September 2011.  A former member of the Northern Alliance, former Afghan President, and head of the Jamiat-e Islami party, he was chosen by President Karzai to head the High Peace Council.  In September 2011 he was assassinated by a suicide bomber posing as a Taliban peace envoy.  Rabbani was an ethnic Tajik, a fighter against the Soviet invasion, and a fierce enemy of the Taliban.

Composition of High Peace Council.  When initially formed, there were 70 members of the council.  Many members of the peace council are prominent Afghans; however some question if the council is composed of people who have influence with the Taliban and who are associated with past war crimes and corruption.  The members of the council include tribal elders, religious scholars, women, former warlords, intellectuals and academics, and members of government.  For a listing of the original members of the High Peace Council and a critique of the member composition see "Warlords' Peace Council" - an online article by Martine van Bijlert on the website of the Afghan Analysts Network.

New HPC in 2016. President Ashraf Ghani appointed a new head and several deputies for the High Peace Council in February 2016.