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Abdullah claims Taliban responsible for the stalled peace talks
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) said Tuesday the Taliban has brought the intra-Afghan negotiations to a standstill in Doha, Qatar.
Addressing a meeting on the occasion of the inauguration of the HCNR’s Media and Public Awareness Commission, Abdullah stated that no negotiations have been held between the peace teams for about three weeks.
Abdullah also said no decision could be made behind the scenes, and “the Taliban can put whatever they want on the negotiating table with the I.R delegation.”
“If it is about speeding up the process [Peace process], it is our responsibility. But we are currently in a situation that although the negotiating party has not interrupted the negotiations, no negotiations are underway currently,” Abdullah pointed out.
Abdullah meanwhile also raised the issue of an interim government which has been proposed by some Afghan politicians as an alternative in order to kickstart the stalled peace talks.
He said that nowhere in the world has it been proven that peace can be maintained by merely establishing an interim government.
“Peace is not a personal issue for some people; the Taliban should sit around the negotiating table and raise their issues. A transitional government is not the goal of a desirable future that is acceptable to all,” Abdullah noted.
This comes after reports emerged about a week ago that the Taliban’s negotiating team has not fully returned to the talks tables since the three-week December break.
Some sources have stated that the Taliban is waiting to see whether the US goes through with the troops withdrawal by May 1 as per the Doha agreement before they return to the peace talks tables.
No decision has however been taken as yet regarding the troop withdrawal issue but Biden administration officials have confirmed the agreement is being reviewed.
High-ranking US officials have been briefed on the deal and on Thursday last week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.
“Great meeting with Ambassador Khalilzad to discuss the way forward in Afghanistan: continuing to protect the US against the threat of terrorism, achieving a just and durable political settlement there, and cementing a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” Blinken said in a tweet.
Biden’s Administration has retained Khalilzad, who has for the past two years been the driving force behind the Afghan peace process, to continue the Afghan peace mission.
In a series of tweets, Khalilzad stated that he has briefed Blinken on the Afghanistan peace process “in the context of our continuing policy review.”
“We discussed the focus on our conditions-based strategy, one that brings peace to Afghanistan, secures a stable future for its citizens, and prevents anyone from using Afghanistan to threaten the United States and our allies,” Khalilzad said.
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Mullah Baradar discusses creation of railway with Kazakh deputy PM
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs has met with Erik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed the establishment of a railway network from Kazakhstan to Pakistan through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the deputy PM’s office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Baradar emphasized the need to sign agreements to solve the banking problems of traders from both countries, the creation of Afghan-Kazakh joint companies, and the facilitation of visas for Afghan traders.
According to the statement, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that the Kazakh government intends to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce and a joint trade and labor group between the two countries, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the sectors of e-governance, industry, higher education, education, health, and banking.
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Iran, Pakistan leaders raise concerns over ‘terrorist groups’ in Afghanistan
Following a two-day official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to further expand commercial and economic cooperation and transform the common border of the two countries from a “border of peace” to “border of prosperity”.
The two leaders also strongly condemned aggressions and crimes of Israel in Gaza, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza.
Numerous other issues were also discussed but on the topic of Afghanistan, they jointly declared their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, independent country free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
According to the statement the two countries pointed out that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan is a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.
The two sides stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the field of fighting terrorism and ensuring security and creating a united front against terrorism.
They also discussed the importance of coordinating regional and international efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the statement read.
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Over 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
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