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Ghani orders release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners
President Ashraf Ghani has signed a decree to release 1500 Taliban prisoners, a move to pave the way for the start of the intr-Afghan dialogue.
Sediq Sediqqi, the presidential spokesman said that all released prisoners will have to give “a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield.”
The prisoners will be released from the prison of Parwan province within 15 days, as 100 prisoners will walk out of the custody per day, Sediqqi said.
The rest of 3500 prisoners would be released – 500 prisoners every two weeks – after the direct talks with the militants take place and if the group pledge to reduce the violence, Sediqqi added.
ماده سوم: بعد از آغاز و در جریان مذاکرات مستقیم میان هیات تعیین شده از جانب جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان و گروه طالبان، در هر دو هفته به تعداد 500 تن محبوس مربوط به گروه طالبان که مجموع شان به 3500 تن می رسد، مشروط به اینکه سطح خشونت ها به طور چشمگیر کاهش یابد، رها گردند.
— Sediq Sediqqi (@SediqSediqqi) March 10, 2020
The US and Taliban signed a deal on February 29 in Qatar, according to that, the Afghan government would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners ahead of intra-Afghan talks, and in exchange, the militant group would release up to 1,000 Afghan government prisoners.
Meanwhile, the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Peace, Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted, ” I urge the two sides to sit down immediately for talks on this issue in Doha, Qatar to work out the details. The Afghan government has agreed to do so. When implemented, this will be a significant step in the peace process.”
Khalilzad calls on the Taliban group to fulfill its commitment to reduce violence in the country.
(1/3) President Ghani issued a decree tonight to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners starting Saturday from a list provided by the Taliban. The Taliban had already agreed to release up to 1,000 prisoners from the Afghan government side.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) March 10, 2020
“Despite these signs of progress, violence by the Taliban remains too high. We expect the Taliban to adhere to its commitments to reduce violence in order to allow for the release of prisoners to be implemented smoothly and the peace process to succeed,” Khalilzad said.
It comes as the US Army has begun pulling out troops from Afghanistan as part of the agreement with the Taliban.
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IEA urges World Bank to resume work on 7,000 incomplete projects
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
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Ten people killed by floods in Helmand
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
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UN envoy meets Indian foreign minister to discuss Afghanistan
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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