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Imran Khan says Taliban won’t talk peace unless Ghani goes
Taliban leaders have said they will not negotiate with the Afghan government as long as Ashraf Ghani remains president, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday (August 11), Reuters reported.
With peace talks stalled, violence in Afghanistan has escalated spiked sharply as the insurgent group makes rapid territorial gains. A U.S. defence official said on Wednesday that Taliban fighters could take over Kabul in 90 days.
Khan said a political settlement was looking difficult under current conditions.
“I tried to persuade the Taliban… three to four months back when the Taliban senior leadership came here,” Khan told foreign journalists at his home in Islamabad.
“The condition is that as long as Ashraf Ghani is there, we (Taliban) are not going to talk to the Afghan government,” Khan said, quoting the Taliban leaders as telling him.
According to Reuters peace talks between the Taliban, who view Ghani and his government as puppets of the United States, and a team of Kabul-nominated Afghan negotiators started last September but have made no substantive progress.
Representatives of a number of countries, including the United States, are currently in the Qatari capital of Doha talking to both sides in a last-ditch push for a ceasefire before Aug 31 – the day all foreign forces officially exit Afghanistan.
The Pakistani prime minister said he felt the Afghan government was now trying to convince the United States to come back and intervene again, Reuters reported.
“They’ve been here for 20 years… What will they do now that they did not do for 20 years?” he said.
U.S. forces have continued to use airstrikes to support Afghan forces against Taliban advances, but it remains unclear if such support will continue after Aug 31.
Khan said Pakistan had “made it very clear” that it does not want any American military bases in Pakistan after U.S. forces exit Afghanistan.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate, held a telephone conversation with Asaad Hassan al- Shaibani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, regarding the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Syria.
During the discussion, the two sides also talked about the latest regional developments.
Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held separate phone calls with senior officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, focusing on the recent escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In his call with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Muttaqi said Afghanistan’s recent security actions were aimed at protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity. Qatar expressed support for reducing tensions and said it is ready to play a constructive role.
During his call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Muttaqi praised Riyadh’s diplomatic efforts and reaffirmed Afghanistan’s desire for positive relations based on mutual respect. Saudi Arabia stressed de-escalation, dialogue, and respect for sovereignty as essential for resolving disputes.
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed to maintain ongoing contact and support diplomatic approaches to regional stability.
The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan has announced that Afghan forces carried out fresh airstrikes on military targets in Miranshah and Spinwam, in Pakistan.
The strikes took place last night around 12:00 AM, according to the Ministry. In its statement, the Ministry said the Miranshah and Spinwam military bases were destroyed, resulting in heavy casualties.
The statement added that these “successful strikes were carried out in response to repeated air incursions by the Pakistani military regime.”
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