Taliban threatening Afghan peace process: Ghani

Even after Kabul released 4,015 prisoners, relentless violent attacks continue to be carried out across Afghan lands by the Taliban – threatening the peace talks to end the two-decade-old war

New Delhi: While briefing the international community on Afghanistan’s preparations for the peace talks with the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani upheld the growing incident of violence by the radical group as a ‘serious threat’ to the process.

“If the Taliban continues fighting, the Afghan peace process will face serious challenges,” Ghani said. He was addressing the inaugural session of the three online conferences with representatives from more than 20 countries.

The conferences staged by the Presidential Palace will hold discussions on peace and strategies to build consensus on the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Representatives from the United States, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and other countries in the region are attending the online event.

The meeting will witness a direct engagement between the Afghan authorities and the Taliban to agree on negotiations aimed at putting an end to the nearly two-decade-old war in the war-torn lands.

A day before the conference, Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the Ghani-led government is committed to starting the intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest to ensure peace, stability, and an end to the war.

“There is no obstacle on our side for the peace process, but we see that the Taliban are not serious,” Sediqqi was quoted by local agencies. He added that the government has released a large number of Taliban in order to reduce violence in the country, but the attacks and incidents have not decreased.

The Afghan government also revealed that one of the main reasons behind the delay in the intra-Afghan negotiations was its refusal to release 597 prisoners out of the 5,000 inmates that were to be freed as part of the US-Taliban agreement signed in late February.

Also Read: Baloch leaders fear large-scale retaliatory attacks by Pak-Chinese forces

 “These individuals are accused of serious moral crimes. There are convicted murderers in the list, with some of them have been convicted for rape, but their release has been sought in the name of Taliban prisoners,” Head of Prisoner Release Program Ahmad Rashid Totakhil was quoted saying. He also added that so far 4,015 Taliban prisoners have been released and the process will continue this week.

According to the Afghan Foreign Ministry, a trilateral virtual conference between officials of Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan was held on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in its release on Monday said that New Delhi expressed support for constitutional order in Afghanistan, which would protect the interest of all sections of Afghan society, including women, children, and minorities. India highlighted the fact that in order to achieve durable peace in Afghanistan, putting an end to terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens is an essential pre-requisite.

Afghanistan Appoints Female Governors in 34 Provinces

In a statement to international media, Seddiqi announced that according to a new decision by the Cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, a woman will be appointed deputy governor in each of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

“The proposal to elect a female deputy governor for each of the 34 provinces was proposed by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and has been approved by the cabinet. The independent local authorities have been duly instructed to act as soon as possible to establish the positions,” Seddiqi was quoted.

 Taking on the empowering decision on social media, Seddiqi wrote, ‘Establishing a special female deputy governor position in the provinces does not mean women cannot become governors. Along with a male or female governor, a provincial deputy governor will definitely be appointed from the women’s ranks.’