UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has insisted that the church should lead the dialogue process because it has a long history of resolving conflicts.

According to a statement shared on his Facebook page, Monday, Hichilema said this when he met Justice Minister Given Lubinda at a filling station in Lusaka.

“With our party vice president Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, we held a roadside meeting with Hon. Given Lubinda, the Minister of Justice. We stressed the need for dialogue and that we remain committed to the process and agreed that it is led by the Church and not those with partisan interests. In that short meeting, we told our colleague that violence was relentlessly visited upon innocent victims but as leaders we can stop this if only we can commit to reforms. This country does not belong to Hakainde, GBM or indeed anyone abusing State powers and as such it is vital that we come together and talk but under the umbrella of the Church,” stated Hichilema.

“The Church has a long history of resolving conflicts, therefore, to resolve the impasse of
other parties not interested in the Commonwealth-led dialogue and we having no confidence in the Zambia Center For Interparty Dialogue (ZCID), we must all then agree that the Church leads the way. Only those without a faith, denomination or religion, will deny that the Church must not lead the way in bringing unity and harmony in our country.”

So far, UPND has shunned all ZCID preliminary meetings with other political parties and key stakeholders.