KABUL – A group of 70 Taliban are ready to join the peace process, Afghanofficials said on Sunday.

Afghan’s Herat provincial council chairman Kamran Alizai said talks hadbeen held with the men, *TOLO Newslink>*reported.Alizai said the group had set some preconditions. These included securingemployment on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gaspipeline project.

“The armed group said they will join the peace process if employed on theTAPI project. They will also ensure the project’s security,” said Alizai.

Herat governor Mohammad Asif Rahimi welcomed the group’s move. He said thegovernment will provide them with employment opportunities after they jointhe peace process.

“The door is open, the offer has been made to all the anti-governmentarmed groups,” Rahimi said. The news comes just days after another group of10 insurgents also joined the peace process in support of the TAPI project.

Pakistan has thrown its weight behind Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’slatest initiative seeking unconditional talks with the Taliban and said itwould make all-out efforts to facilitate the peace process.

The fresh initiative was unveiled by Ghani on the first day of aninternational conference organised under the Kabul Process. The moveenvisages unconditional talks with the Afghan Taliban, something thatIslamabad had been pushing for long.

In a clear departure from the Afghan government’s earlier stance, Ghani notonly proposed peace talks without preconditions but also hinted at bringingnecessary amendments to the country’s Constitution to accommodate Talibanreservations.

The Afghan president even offered insurgents office space, release ofprisoners and remove sanctions against Taliban who engage in peace talks.

At the outset of his address, the Afghan president also reached out toPakistan by saying: “We’re ready to restart talks about peace with Pakistanagain and forget bitter experiences of the past and open a new chapter.”