Political solution only way Taliban should follow: Ghani

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday said a political settlement acceptable to all Afghans was the only way the Taliban should follow and the ongoing war in Afghanistan was a conflict of terrorist networks.

Talking to a meeting of Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) in the Presidential Palace, the president said, “The environment has changed, we face aggression from international terrorism, but people should be confident that the republic would be protected and the international community is supporting Afghanistan.”

He said Islamic scholars had declared that the war the Taliban followed had no religious justification, “because the war and intensifying of violence by the Taliban are against any rules.”

“We are committed to ending the war and ensuring a just and durable peace,” Ghani said. “The ongoing war in Afghanistan is between terrorist networks, there is no war between Afghans and neither Afghans kill each other, terrorist networks kill Afghans and Afghans stand against them, we are committed to peace with the Taliban and talks are underway,” he added.

“It is obvious from the name of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan that we implement Islamic values as principles in internal and external relations, a political agreement acceptable to all the people is the only way for the Taliban to follow,” Ghani said.

He said that he offered early elections to the Taliban for the sake of achieving peace in the country.

“People want peace, peace and stability in Afghanistan is also in the interest of our neighboring countries,” he said.

Ghani termed the constitution of Afghanistan as one of the most Islamic constitutions in the world and said that the Taliban should participate in elections to make it clear who the people want to choose.

Most of the country’s resources are spent by the ministries of interior and defense but management efforts would be made to reduce high expenses in the sector, he said.

“Despite facing drought, coronavirus and conflicts this ongoing year, three percent and one percent economic inflation is a good news for Afghanistan,” the president added.

The next week will be started with the digitalization of Afghanistan, he said.

Chairman of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Dr. Abdullah Abdullah in the meeting said that ongoing violence had affected public life and peace talks in Doha were not meeting expectations.

He stressed on importance of women’s rights in the peace negotiations and said that any side who think they would win Afghanistan militarily, they were wrong.

Mds/ma