People gather at Hazrat-e-Ali Shrine, or the Blue Mosque, to celebrate the annual Nowruz festival in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province, Afghanistan, March 21, 2021. March 21 is the first day of Nowruz and the start of the year 1400 in Persian calendar. War-weary Afghans marked it with praying for peace as in many mosques, worshippers prayed for ending the war and returning lasting peace in their war-torn country. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)
KABUL, March 21 (Xinhua) -- "The protracted war has destroyed Afghanistan and forced millions of Afghans to leave the country for safer places around the world. I am hopeful and also praying that Nowruz, the New Year of 1400 be the year of peace and tranquility for Afghans," a Kabul resident Abdul Azim said.
Azim, 39, who had lost his father and uncle in the war and civil strife 26 years ago in northern Takhar province, said that the rest of his family migrated to Iran to escape the war but the destructive fighting is still going on and claims the lives of innocent people.
Recalling his bitter memories, Azim said that he was a young boy when his father and uncle were killed in crossfire around Takhar's provincial capital Taluqan city, forcing his family to leave for Iran.
"Unfortunately I could not go to school due to fighting in my province and shifting one place to another place to survive," Azim, who works as a street vendor, went on to say.
March 21 is the first day of Nowruz and the start of the year 1400 in Persian calendar. War-weary Afghans marked it with praying for peace as in many mosques, worshippers prayed for ending the war and returning lasting peace in their war-torn country.
The start of Nowruz in Afghanistan coincided with the peace efforts to end the war in the country. Just a couple of days ago, a peace conference on Afghanistan hosted by Russia and participated by delegates from the Afghan government and the Taliban outfit concluded with emphasizing on the reduction of violence and finding a political solution for the country's crisis.
Another peace conference aimed at finding a solution to the Afghan crisis was scheduled to be held at Turkey in early April.
Nowruz is a public holiday in Afghanistan and Afghans celebrate the day by holding conferences, organizing stage shows, exhibitions and airing colorful programs on TV.
Inside the premise of the blue mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif city, thousands of people from across the country gathered to mark Nowruz and prayed for peace in Afghanistan.
"Enough is enough, we Afghans have be fed up with war, the outcome of war is nothing more than more destruction and killing people. The prolonged war has taken everything from us and sandwiched our people. I am calling upon the Taliban to stop fighting," a participant of Nawroz festival in Mazar-i-Sharif Mohammad Nabi told Xinhua.
The 49-years old Nabi who used to live in Pakistan as a refugee for 20 years and then returned to his hometown Mazar-i-Sharif, said with sorrow that he might go to Pakistan again if the ongoing peace efforts fail to bring about peace in Afghanistan.
Echoing the sentiment of Afghans, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani also called upon the Taliban outfit to give up fighting and choose peace for the country.
"There is no legitimacy for the Taliban to continue the war in Afghanistan, Afghans want peace. We want peace, honorable and durable peace," Ghani said in his speech to congratulate Nowruz in a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Sunday.
