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Ghani’s administration is main hurdle for peace in Afghanistan: Taliban
The Taliban said Friday that President Ashraf Ghani’s government is the “only hurdle for the peace process” in Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference in Moscow, Russia, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy head of Taliban’s office in Qatar, stated that President Ghani has to resign as “negotiations underway and [all] would agree on a new Islamic State.”
Stanikzai, who is leading a Taliban delegation in Moscow, added that the Taliban is ready to work with a new government in the country.
“Negotiations underway end the government of Ashraf Ghani and establish a new Islamic state. The Taliban have reached an agreement with the US on setting up a new Islamic government in Afghanistan,” Stanikzia said.
He claimed that President Ghani’s administration is creating hurdles in the way of peace talks.
“The Aghan government’s officials are insincere in peace and they do not want to restore peace because if peace comes an Islamic State would be set and Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s administration would be terminated; therefore, they create hurdles in the way of the peace process,” Stanikzia stated.
Meanwhile, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State in a phone conversation with President Ghani discussed the Afghan peace process and the US commitment toward Afghanistan said the US State Department in a statement on Thursday.
According to the statement, the US backs the Afghan peace process and political settlement.
“The Secretary highlighted robust diplomatic support for the peace process focused on helping the parties to the conflict achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent and comprehensive ceasefire that benefits all Afghans,” read the statement.
The US will review the February 2020 US-Taliban deal, said the department of state.
“The United States is reviewing the February 2020 US-Taliban agreement and whether the Taliban are living up to their commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders,” added the statement.
Blinken also called on the Afghan leaders to support the historic opportunity for peace.
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Girls’ education is a ‘vital issue’ for Afghanistan: Karzai
Former president Hamid Karzai said in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador and special representative, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that education of girls was a “vital issue” for Afghanistan.
Karzai said he appreciated Iran’s cooperation and its standing with the Afghan people, especially Iran’s contributions to education in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Karzai said peace and stability in the region are in the interest of all regional countries.
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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.
Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.
The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.
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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani
Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.
Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.
“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.
He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.
“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.
Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.
“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.
Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”
However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.
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