Pakistan behind Taliban’s call for interim govt

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The Provincial council chief for eastern Nangarhar province says Taliban are seeking an interim government in line Pakistan’s direction.

Ahmad Ali Hazrat made the statement after Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy head of Taliban’s political office in Doha, called for the resignation of President Ashraf Ghani at a news conference in Moscow.

Hazrat said Taliban’s demand, which was against the people’s will, had drawn a harsh response from the public and the government.

He accused the militant movement of making Ghani’s resignation a precondition for peace in the country. The president was elected based on winning the trust of a majority of Afghans.

He explained Ghani did not come to power by force, but the Afghan people had reposed confidence in him. The Taliban must also win people’s trust to come to government, he stressed.

The public representative said: “The Afghans don’t approve of the interim government idea and would defend their votes at any cost.

“The Taliban should not dream of an interim government in Afghanistan because it is against the will of the people,” the provincial council chief insisted.

“We know the Taliban are talking about the interim government in Afghanistan at the behest of Pakistan. We urge Pakistan not to force the Taliban and to stop meddling in Afghanistan’s internal affairs,” he continued.

According to Hazrat, the Afghans had no alternative to the current system and accepted anyone as president who won the majority of votes. The Afghans wanted peace but not at the expense of past achievements.

sa/mud