KABUL (SW): Tired with Pakistan’s dual policy towards the Afghan peace process, the High Council for Peace (HCP) is now seeking alternates to reach a deal with those militants willing to lay down arms.
Attaur Rahman Saleem, deputy head of the HCP told Salam Watandar that a number of Taliban figures are inclined towards the peace process. He said that efforts are underway to reach a consensus in this regard.
To a question about the chances of Taliban’s faction headed by Mullah Rasoul joining the peace talks, he said: “There are people within the Taliban who are willing to sit and talk but this matter is not mature yet hence it would not be made public”.
Meanwhile, Abdul Jabar Qaharman, the presidential envoy for southern Helmand province’ security affairs, have also noted that efforts to persuade the rebels to give-up arms have led to some success. He said this while talking to journalists in the south.
Waheed Mujda, a security affairs expert, commenting on situation believed that talks with the influential Taliban leaders would yield some results. “This would also convince others to come and have talks with the Afghan government”, he said.
This comes at a time when Pakistan has assured Afghanistan that peace talks with the Taliban “will resume in a month” to find a peaceful end to the Afghan conflict. This assurance came in a meeting between the Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi and Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz.
ENDS
