MAZAR-I-SHARIF - Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) chief Sima Samar on Monday said the Taliban made majority of prisoners released under the government-Hezbi Islami agreement.
Addressing a gathering about the rights body’s next strategic plan in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, Samar said the lack of close monitoring of the government-HIA agreement during its implementation resulted in wrongly release of Taliban inmates.
Samar conditionally welcomed the government’s recently started crackdown on illegal armed groups.
The AIHRC head said peace and stability could not be ensured until agreements signed regarding peace were not closely observed.
She said a large number of Taliban prisoners were also among those released from the country’s jails under the HIA-government peace agreement. The lack of close observation was the reason wrong inmates were released, she added.
“Peace cannot come by signing agreements, the ground should be paved for the implementation of such pacts”, Samar added. Some of the released Taliban insurgents had been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
However, HIA spokesman FazalGhani Haqmal told Pajhwok Afghan News that HIA inmates had been released after an assessment of a joint commission with the government and based on the peace agreement.
He said the inmates were released based on three types of guarantees that they would not return to the battleground.
“There is no evidence to prove any of the released inmates has returned to the fight”, he said.
“Such statements are made by those who are against the peace agreement with HIA and they oppose any agreement with the Taliban as well”, Haqmal said.
However, Samar said: “We cannot achieve peace with such acts. Peace would not come by begging, it needs comprehensive grounds,” she said, adding AIHRC did not support revenge neither it wanted the justice to be denied.
On the other hand, Samar said guns and dictatorship still ruled Afghanistan and absence of law had allowed strongmen to become stronger.
She said her commission supported the government’s move to arrest strongmen and illegal armed people but on the condition that the government should avoid torturing them and respect human rights.
Samar saw injustices in the country behind the prolonged war  and said peace, security, justice and education were interconnected and achieving them needed serious efforts. (Pajhwok)