Afghanistan’s High Peace Council  (HPC)  says the government has issued passports for the members of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar as part of the efforts to boost peace process with the group.

The council’s spokesman Sayed Ehsan Tahiri told Ariana News that recently,  the head of Taliban’s Qatar office Sher Mohammad Abas Stanekzai with a delegation of the group had traveled to Uzbekistan and Indonesia with Afghan passport.  

According to HPC,  Abas stanekzai’s travel to Uzbekistan took place in  early August and his travel to Indonesia was between 12-15 August.  The Taliban in a statement said that the group’s delegation met with Vice President and Foreign Minister of Indonesia and spoke about their future plans on peace.

The HPC spokesman further said that the Taliban delegation’s recent visits including to Uzbekistan were aimed at facilitating peace talks. “They traveled with Afghan passports in coordination with the Afghan government,” Tahiri said.

The Taliban spokesman said the type of Afghan passport as the Taliban delegation were being offered with was confidential.  But close figures to the Taliban said that the group has no limitation to obtain Afghan passport.

Sayed Akbar Agha, former member of the Taliban said that the members of the Taliban’s Qater office have received the passports through consulates of Afghanistan in Qatar and Pakistan.

“I think the Taliban has no limitation to get Afghan passport so far,” he said.

Earlier,  sources told Ariana News that the Taliban were expected open a new representative office in Tashkent to facilitate peace process , apart from the group’s current office in Qatar which according to the sources could be turned into an educational center for the Taliban.

This comes as the Taliban has so far shown no sign of having peace negotiation with the Afghan government, but instead repeatedly insisted of having direct talks with the United States.

Reporting by Bais Hayat, editing by Shakib Mahmud