KABUL (SW) – Presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said on Sunday the ‘Loya Jirga’ will be held to consult on peace and decide on the fate of 400 Taliban prisoners.
Seddiqi told a news conference on Monday that members of the previous Loya Jirga would gather on Aug. 7 for three days to decide on key issues related to peace. He said that the main objectives of the consultative Jirga are to decide on the release of 400 Taliban prisoners, deliberate on ways to preserve gains of past nineteen years, the democratic system and to consult on the future of Afghanistan.
Seddiqi stated that the government seeks transparency in the peace process and that the Loya Jirga will be held for the same purpose.
The Afghan government recently announced that it did not have the authority to release 592 Taliban prisoners convicted with serious crimes, a decision that posed challenge to the peace process.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said on the first day of Eid that the Loya Jirga would be convened to decide on the release of 400 Taliban prisoners.
In his Eid statement, the President clarified that according to the law, he does not have the authority to release these 400 Taliban prisoners, and for this reason, the Loya Jirga will hold a consultation to decide on them. He said the decision not to release 400 Taliban prisoners did not mean a negative response, but that he wanted to consult with the public representatives.
ENDS
