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Ghani, Hekmatyar Sign Peace Agreement

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Last Updated on: October 24, 2022

capturePresident Ashraf Ghani signed the peace deal with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar at Kabul’s presidential palace during a ceremony broadcast live on television on Thursday.

The warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar called for peace as he appeared by video to sign a deal with President Ashraf Ghani, marking a symbolic victory in Kabul’s struggle to revive talks with the Taliban.

The long delayed, elusive agreement between the government of Afghanistan and notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has been signed.

The signing of the accord culminates what has been a seven month effort by Ashraf Ghani’s government to reincorporate Hekmaytar’s Hezb-i-Islami (HIG) faction with the central government.

Signing of the deal has been welcomed by the international community as a possible template for any future peace deal with the Taliban, who have been fighting to overthrow the Kabul government for 15 years.

“Now is the time for the Taliban to think about whether they want to continue the war or come for peace,” Ghani said as he signed the deal at the presidential palace in Kabul.

Hekmatyar offered his congratulations to the government and “all those Afghans who want peace and stability in the region” as he signed a copy of the deal via video link.

“I pray that our country be independent and sovereign, and our innocent and war-weary nation end the fighting and ongoing insecurity, and that unity prevails,” he said.

He reiterated his calls for an end to “foreign interference” and for all foreign troops to leave Afghanistan.

Security was tight in the capital, with the road to the palace blocked. Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, former president Hamid Karzai, delegates from Hezb-i-Islami and other politicians also attended the ceremony.

Some analysts believe the peace agreement between the Ghani administration and HIG will serve as a template for future Taliban negotiations; a possible carrot approach to bringing the elusive group back to the negotiating table after talks were stalled when rumors of Mullah Omar’s death surfaced late last July.

However, not all groups appear satisfied with the recent accords. Some view the terms of the agreement as amnesty for a group and a warlord that have caused considerable suffering and numerous human rights violations throughout Afghanistan’s decades long conflict.

Hekmatyar was a notorious warlord and famed mujahideen commander during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during the 1980s. His group, Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), was a favorite of the anti-Soviet factions, and received considerable backing and financial support from the United States and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Hekmatyar trained guerrilla fighters in the refugee camps of Shamshatoo and Jalozai in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP).

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Afghanistan, Pakistan and China agree to hold sixth round of FMs’ talks in Kabul

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The special representatives of Pakistan and China for Afghanistan, along with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, agreed in a trilateral meeting held on Saturday that the sixth round of foreign ministers’ talks among the three countries will be held in Kabul.

Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that Muttaqi, Yue Xiaoyong, and Mohammad Sadiq also agreed to begin preparations for the upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers of Kabul, Islamabad, and Beijing.

Today’s trilateral meeting addressed follow-up issues related to the fifth round of foreign ministers’ dialogue among Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan, as well as discussions on political and economic cooperation among the three countries.

During this meeting, Muttaqi emphasized the importance of political and economic relations between Afghanistan and the two countries and expressed hope for “significant progress” in these areas in the future.

The special envoys from China and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations with Afghanistan based on good neighborliness and mutual respect.

Pakistan’s envoy Sadiq also said in a post on X page that today’s trilateral meeting provided an opportunity to align views on economic and security cooperation, as well as regional stability.

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Pakistan says India launched attack on Afghanistan, India denies

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The Pakistani military has claimed that India launched missile and drone attack on Afghanistan.

Pakistan Army spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry made the claim at a news conference, calling Afghanistan a “brotherly” country.

India, however, has rejected the claim as “ludicrous.”

“I only want to point out that the Afghan people don’t need to be reminded about which country it is that has, on multiple occasions in just the last one and a half years, targeted civilian populations and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan” said Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

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Mujahid: We will investigate Afghan prisoner’s death in Iran

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The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, responded to the death of an Afghan prisoner who had gone on a hunger strike in Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison, saying that the case is being pursued.

“We are concerned about the condition of Afghan prisoners in other countries, and we are following up on the case that occurred in Iran. It is regrettable. We are making our final efforts. Host countries must uphold all principles regarding migrants and treat prisoners properly,” said Mujahid.

The Afghan prisoner, identified as Nabi Bayati, died following a hunger strike in protest against the behavior of prison officials at Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Iranian media reported that Nabi Bayati cited “discriminatory and degrading treatment by prison authorities” as the reason for his hunger strike.

According to reports, in recent days, the prisoner had gone on a hunger strike in protest against the decision of the authorities and their degrading behavior after being transferred to Unit One of the prison, which is considered one of the most overcrowded and tense sections of the facility.

Iranian media also reported that Bayati and three other prisoners were initially transferred to a room known as “closed-door” due to accusations of involvement in a fight, and were later moved to a high-tension unit following the intervention of one of the prison’s deputy officials.

It has also been reported that after the prisoner announced his hunger strike and despite his explicit warnings, prison authorities not only ignored his warnings, but as a punitive measure, placed him in the hallway of Ward 9, a public passageway for inmates, without access to basic facilities.

However, Iranian media reported that the Afghan prisoner died after four days of hunger strike, during which no attention was given to him by the Iranian authorities.

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