<p><a href="/en/afganistan/kabul" class="glossify-link">KABUL</a> (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday said the government-mandated peace negotiating enjoyed strong support of his administration and the people.</p>
<p>Ghani, who met the negotiating team at the Presidential Palace, said the Afghans saw their strength in diversity, unity and coordination.</p>
<p>On Feb 29, the United States and the <a href="https://www.pajhwok.com/en/taliban">Taliban</a> signed a keenly-awaited peace pact on ending the war in <a href="https://www.pajhwok.com/en/afghanistan">Afghanistan</a> in Doha.</p>
<p>The meeting comes as the government, without making any official statement, released dozens of hard-core <a href="https://www.pajhwok.com/ps/taliban">Taliban</a> prisoners.</p>
<p>Ahmadullah Wasiq, a member <a href="/en/taliban" class="glossify-link">Taliban</a>’s media team, tweeted that at least 100 Taliban prisoners had been released from Pul-i-Charkhi and Bagram prisons in the past two days.</p>
<p>He claimed 54 of the released prisoners, including two <a href="https://www.pajhwok.com/ps/women">women</a>, had been sentenced to death. He said the prisoners were freed in the wake of the rebel group’s insistence.</p>
<p>Media outlets, including Pajhwok Afghan News, tried to seek details from the authorities, but government spokespersons did not provide any information in this regard.</p>
<p>The Taliban also released four Afghan commando forces in southern Kandahar province and handed them over to the governor’s house through tribal elders.</p>
<p>Faridoon Khwazoon, a spokesman for the High National Reconciliation Council (HNRC), said all hurdles to intra-Afghan talks had been removed.</p>
<p>He said the prisoner swap process would end soon and intra-Afghan talks would begin.</p>
<p>According to Khwazoon, the government’s negotiating team was ready to travel to Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the peace talks are to take place.</p>
<p>A statement from the Presidential Palace said President Ashraf Ghani met with the Afghan government peace negotiating team on Wednesday before noon ahead of its journey to Doha tomorrow.</p>
<p>The statement said Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, who heads the delegation team, told the meeting that peace was the greatest hope of the people of <a href="/en/afghanistan" class="glossify-link">Afghanistan</a>.</p>
<p>Addressing the negotiating team, Ghani said: “As a national team, you have the strong support of the Afghan government and people, and Afghans see their strength in your diversity, unity and coordination.”</p>
<p>Ghani further said <a href="/en/ulema" class="glossify-link">ulema</a> and youth in the composition of the peace negotiating delegation had their own national and political weight and they would represent each and every section of the society.</p>
<p>He said the main goal of the delegation was to end violence, as people wanted lasting peace and protection of the values of the new society.</p>
<p>President Ghani emphasized that the Afghan government had fulfilled all its commitments in the peace process as expected by the international community and that the release of Taliban prisoners was a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment toward peace.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, High National Reconciliation Council (HNRC) chairman Dr. Abdullah Abdullah told the negotiation team that they had full support of the Afghan government and people of Afghanistan.</p>
<p>He said the government would continue to support protection of national sovereignty, national values and national interests, the republic system, women’s rights, freedom of expression and security and defense forces.</p>
<p>He said the negotiation team represented all people of Afghanistan, including families of the victims.</p>
<p>pk/ma</p>
