KABUL (SW) – The Afghanistan Human Rights Commission has expressed concerns over the proposed prison exchange between the government and Taliban.
Following media reports about President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani issuing a decree to release the Taliban prisoners, the AIHRC said while confidence building measures are necessary for peace talks, the questions and concerns about prisoner exchange are yet to be addressed.
“AIHRC will continue to advocate for the rights of Afghans throughout the process and calls on all sides to be accountable & transparent to the public regarding the process”, it said in a statement.
Zabihiullah Farhang, head of cultural affairs at the AIHRC, told Salam Watandar that the government was asked to respond to questions surrounding release of the proposed 5000 prisoners, however, these questions have not been answered.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Qatar office spokesman, Suhail Shaheen has said in a statement that a list of 5000 of their militants has been shared with the government for their eventual release.
In his inaugural speech, President Ghani said on Monday that a mechanism has been reached for the release of Taliban prisoners that would see notable and measurable reduction in violence in Afghanistan.
ENDS
