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Reconciliation council chooses six deputies and over 40 members

Spokesman for the High Council for National Reconciliation Fraidoon Khwazoon confirmed Saturday that six deputies and more than 40 members have been appointed to the body that was established in May.
Sources said the newly-appointed deputies are council head Abdullah Adbullah’s election campaign running mates Enayatullah Babur Farahmand and Asadullah Saadati; State Minister for Peace Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi, as well as Ata-ur-Rahman Saleem and Din Mohammad, two members of the now defunct High Peace Council, and a woman who would be introduced by the Presidential Palace.
“More than 40 people have been introduced. The list was finalized and is waiting for the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation to officially announce the structure,” Fraidoon Khwazoon said.
This development comes three months after the council was established following a power-sharing agreement between political rivals Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani following months of post-election discord.
In addition to the six deputies, an additional 40-plus members were selected for the leadership committee of the council which is tasked with pursuing issues around the peace process.
While names have not yet been released, sources indicate all those appointed are prominent members of society and are all proponents of peace.
This comes after the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad called on the Afghan government and the Taliban this week to immediately start intra-Afghan negotiations; aimed at finding a political settlement to end the long-term conflict in the war-weary country.
Khalilzad said that there is no legitimate reason to delay the talks.
The Taliban, however, disputes this and has stated it will start negotiations once all the remaining 320 prisoners it has listed are released.
Although Ghani signed the release order of these prisoners almost two weeks ago, the process has stalled after the government on Wednesday suspended the release process.
Sediq Sediqqi, the Presidential spokesman, told Ariana News that the government will not release the remaining Taliban prisoners unless the group frees 22 Afghan security force members they are holding captive.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that his country hoped that “these issues will not become new obstacles to the launch of peaceful dialogue and will be resolved in the near future.”
She added that an early launch of intra-Afghan negotiations is in the interest of both the people of Afghanistan and the country’s foreign partners.
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Moscow’s move a ‘significant step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s political realities’, says Haqqani

Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday met with Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, and Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul.
Haqqani expressed appreciation for Moscow’s recent decision to remove the Islamic Emirate from its list of terrorist organizations. He described the move as “a significant step toward recognizing the political realities of Afghanistan.”
In a statement, the interior ministry said that both sides emphasized the importance of upgrading diplomatic relations to the level of embassies and reaffirmed their commitment to mutual cooperation in the fields of security and trade.
During the meeting, the two parties also discussed regional and bilateral cooperation in the areas of security, economy, and commerce, and stressed the need to strengthen ties between the two countries.
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Special meeting will be held to launch Afghanistan–Russia joint commission, says Kabulov

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, on Wednesday met with Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul and said a special meeting will be held on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum to officially launch the permanent joint commission between Russia and Afghanistan.
According to a statement issued by the Afghan foreign ministry, Kabulov said that expanding relations with Afghanistan is important to Russia, and for that purpose, Moscow has taken steps to remove obstacles in the path of developing bilateral ties.
This comes after Moscow last week removed the Islamic Emirate from their list of militant organizations.
During the meeting, Muttaqi expressed appreciation for Russia’s recent move to remove the IEA from its list of banned organizations and stated that the Islamic Emirate will soon appoint a diplomat at the ambassadorial level to serve in Moscow.
The two sides also discussed enhancing bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Russia, expanding economic and trade cooperation, and addressing certain regional issues.
The 16th International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: Kazan Forum” will be held from May 13 to 18 in the city of Kazan, Russia. Afghan products and goods will be showcased at the event.
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Balochistan business chamber asks Islamabad to issue work permits to Afghan refugees
This comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees living in the country.

The Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Quetta, Pakistan, has appealed to the federal government to issue work permits to skilled Afghan refugees who work in various sectors including mining and agriculture.
Haji Akhtar Kakar, the vice president of the chamber of commerce and industry, made the request while pointing out that the existing shortage of skilled labour could worsen further if the issue was not addressed promptly, Dawn news reported.
This comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees living in the country.
Akhtar said however that due to Balochistan’s deteriorating security situation, mine owners, farmers and industrialists have had to rely on Afghans for skilled labor as Pakistani workers from other provinces were reluctant to move to Balochistan.
According to him, the decision to expel Afghan refugees had severely impacted the agriculture, mining, and industrial sectors in Balochistan, as a significant portion of the workforce came from Afghanistan.
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