Kabul should lead negotiations with Taliban: Asfandyar

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Pakistan’s veteran Pakhtun nationalist leader Asfandyar Wali Khan says peace negotiations will not come to fruition without the participation of the Afghan government.

The Awami National Party (ANP) chief also called on regional countries to do all they could to make the Ashraf Ghani government part of the ongoing peace parleys for the sake of stability in the region.

Speaking to an Afghan government delegation at his residence in Charsadda district, he opined Kabul should lead the ongoing talks being held in different countries. Without the involvement of Kabul, efforts for peace would remain meaningless, he warned.

Muhammad Umar Daudzai, special envoy of President Ashraf Ghani and High Peace Council’s new ambassador to Pakistan Shukrullah Atif Mashal and members of the council were presen on the occasion.

In a statement after the meeting, Asfandyar said: “The so-called Islamic State (IS) may not be controlled in case of a unilateral agreement with Taliban and it will remain active the region in another war.”

Russia and China should play the role of guarantors in the peace parleys, the ANP leader suggested, asking Taliban, Pakistan and the US administration not to ignore the Afghan government in the process. “This region will become another Syria if the peace talks fail.”

Currently on a visit to Pakistan, the delegation conveyed a goodwill message from President Ghani to the ANP president. The team was informed the ANP was ready to play its role in the Afghan peace process.

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