Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Taliban Yet to Decide on Joining Political System: Zaeef

Taliban Yet to Decide on Joining Political System: Zaeef

PESHAWAR - Taliban have not yet accepted President Ashraf Ghani’s offer to join the political system, says a former diplomat.
On February 28, Ghani told the Kabul Process conference his administration was ready to recognize the Taliban as a legal political entity if they shunned the insurgency.
Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, then Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, said the militant movement still viewed the Kabul government as an unconstitutional set-up.
In an interview with a Pakistani newspaper published on Monday, he said the Taliban insisted on the withdrawal of “occupation forces” and wanted to introduce an Islamic government.
“Some Taliban leaders believe there is a conspiracy theory behind the recognition of Taliban as a political power and, therefore, they don’t accept this offer,” he told Daily Times.
Pakistan hadramped up pressure on the Taliban to join the reconciliation process but the insurgents would not bend, the ex-envoy added.
“Pakistan has detained some senior Taliban leaders at a time when efforts are underway to encourage the Taliban to come to the negotiating table,” he remarked.
He continued the Taliban wanted to sort out problems with the US without the involvement of others countriesas long as foreign forces remained in Afghanistan.
Zaeef alleged the US was still creating problems for the Taliban, the Afghans and the region at large. The regional situation had deteriorated with the US invasion of Afghanistan, he claimed. (Pajhwok)