KABUL - The National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday said the Taliban prisoners’ list would be revised to ensure that they would not return to war.
NSC spokesman Javed Faisal told Pajhwok Afghan News the government had proposed a mechanism for the peace process to move forward.
The insurgents would have to work with the government to find a solution, get their prisoners released and push the peace process forward, the official said.
He added: “The ball is in their court now to decide on whether to remain part of the problem or become part of the solution.”
The first batch of Taliban militants was to be released on Sunday but rifts between the government and the rebels over the release mechanism delayed a start to the process.
On March 11, President Ashraf Ghani’s administration ordered the gradual release of Taliban fighters held in government-controlled prisons.
The prisoner swap is a key clause of the US-Taliban peace pact, which was signed in Doha on February 29. However, Ghani initially balked at implementing the clause.
The Presidential Palace on Wednesday announced starting the process of releasing 1,500 Taliban prisoners as ‘a goodwill gesture’, but warned of halting it if the rebels did not reduce violence. (Pajhwok)