ISLAMABAD – Cracks have emerged in the Afghan government’s negotiating teamfor proposed peace talks with the Taliban, just a day after the country’spresident issued a decree finalizing 48 names for the key discussions.
Ashraf Ghani’s former political rival Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of theHigh Council for National Reconciliation, termed the presidential decreeinfringement of his authority.
Abdullah’s office said as per the political agreement between the two men,which helped resolve a months-long electoral dispute, the formation of thecouncil for talks with the Taliban and appointment of its members was oneof the powers granted to the chairman and “does not require the decree ofthe esteemed president.”
“The composition of the council should be national, comprehensive andinclusive, and Sapedar [Abdullah’s office] had started consultations withvarious political leaders and civil activists to finalize it,” it said.
Differences in ‘republican camp’
Just a day earlier, former president Hamid Karzai excused himself frombeing appointed to the official negotiating team for talks with the Taliban.
“The former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai considers the effort forpeace as the national aspiration of all the people of Afghanistan. Theformer president will continue his effort for peace as a citizen and willuse his full power to reach this national purpose but will not participatein a ‘government formation’ of any sort,” his office said in a briefstatement.
The proposed list of peace brokers includes some prominent figures such asformer vice president Karim Khalili, former deputy chief executive MohammadMohaqiq, former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Hizb-e-Islamileader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Salahuddin Rabbani, leader of a faction ofthe Jamiat-e-Islami party.
Rabbani and Hekmatyar also expressed their reservations over the structureand the way the council members have been selected.
The delegation tasked by the Afghan government with talks with the Talibanis led by Abdullah.
Commenting on the political differences among the so-called “republicancamp” of former and current Afghan officials, Kabul-based political analystAnwar Minzay said that many in the Ghani administration believe politiciansaround Karzai are seeking to unite against the president, and establish asort of interim government in the wake of peace talks.
“Ghani is determined to establish the writ of his government in the wake ofthis ‘conspiracy’ as well as the Taliban-led insurgency,” he told AnadoluAgency.
Professor Akram Arifi, a Kabul-based political analyst, said the Afghanpresident’s lack of confidence and mistrust towards the key political eliteis at play behind the current political crisis.
“I must say that the president, right from the day he secured power, wasnot on the same page with the political elite and influential figures inthe country,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Amid the stalled peace talks, the Taliban and Afghan security forcescontinue to engage in deadly fighting, with both sides claiming to haveinflicted a heavy toll on the opposite side.
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According to figures by the Afghanistan Independent Human RightsCommission, at least 1,213 civilians were killed and another 1,744 injuredin 880 incidents such as landmine blasts, aerial raids and groundoffensives in the first six months of 2020.
It took the fragile yet rejuvenated peace parley six months to reach thisstage after a landmark deal between Washington and the insurgents to endnearly 19 years of war in Afghanistan. The agreement had envisioned theintra-Afghan talks within weeks.
Meanwhile, the US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien urged the Afghangovernment not to delay the proposed peace talks.
“NSA O’Brien had a great phone call with President @ashrafghani [AshrafGhani] today to discuss the need for intra-Afghan talks to start withoutdelay. Reiterated U.S. support for a sovereign, democratic, and unified#Afghanistan that never again serves as a source of internationalterrorism,” said the US National Security Council’s twitter handle.
– Sluggish prisoner swap
The troubled peace bid also hinges on a sluggish prisoner exchange, whichhas prevented the Taliban from joining the talks.
However, Abdullah, last Thursday, a day after his phone conversation withPakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, said the dialogue will begin next week.
“People are hopeful for peace. People are ready for tough decisions forpeace, but (they) also have concerns,” Abdullah said, addressing theInstitute of War and Peace Studies in the Afghan capital Kabul.
Meanwhile, Taliban’s top peace negotiator, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai,has announced that the group has formed a 21-member team for the proposedtalks in the Qatari capital of Doha under his leadership.
These developments came on the heels of a visit by a Taliban delegation ledby their deputy chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to Pakistan last week.
In a statement, the group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the talksin Islamabad were about establishing peace and security in Afghanistan andthe region, and intra-Afghan negotiations.
“Similarly, both sides stressed the importance of building trust and goodrelations between the two countries,” it said. -Anadolu Agency
