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Taliban says conditionally ready to start negotiations after Eid al-Adha
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said the group is ready to release the remaining government prisoners by Eid al-Adha, in case the government also releases the remaining 600 prisoners of the Taliban according to the list already shared with the government.
The Taliban are ready to start negotiations between Afghans immediately after Eid, provided the government releases the group’s 600 prisoners on a pre-arranged list.
Shaheen said in a tweet that the group is “ready to release all remaining prisoners of the #Afghan gov’t before the eve of Eid al-Adha provided they release our prisoners as per our list already delivered to them.”
However, the government says the Taliban must reduce violence to start peace talks.
The failure to release some 600 Taliban prisoners from government custody is a controversial issue, and the Independent Human Rights Commission has backed the decision.
“We call on the government to investigate the situation of 592 prisoners. Prisoners who violate human rights and civil rights should not be released at all,” said Zabihullah Farhang, spokesman for the Human Rights Commission.
Some experts say the government is challenging the peace talks by not releasing 600 Taliban prisoners.
“We urge the Afghan government and the US Special Representative for the Afghan peace to take a major action that can be taken to start inter-Afghan talks,” said Negina Yari, a member of the Afghanistan Peace House board.
“There is a good opportunity for negotiations and the demand for the release of their prisoners is a legitimate demand and the government must act,” said Shahzada Massoud, a political analyst.
But the NSC office said that although Taliban prisoners had promised not to return to the war after their release, a number of released prisoners are now fighting against security forces.
Rana Sanaullah, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Affairs, says Islamabad does not seek to impose war on Afghanistan or occupy any part of its territory.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he stated that Pakistan’s primary expectation is for Afghanistan to prevent militant groups from using its soil to launch attacks against Pakistan. He warned that failure to address this concern could lead to the continuation of Pakistani operations targeting such groups.
Pakistani officials have long maintained that militant attacks in Pakistan are planned from Afghan territory. However, the Islamic Emirate has rejected the claim, insisting that Afghanistan is not responsible for what it describes as Pakistan’s “security failures.”
Afghanistan has once again been ranked the least happy country in the world, according to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report.
The report, which measures people’s overall life satisfaction across 147 countries, placed Afghanistan at the bottom of the global ranking for another year, with a score 1.4 out of 10. Researchers assess factors such as income levels, social support, freedom to make life choices, perceptions of corruption, and overall quality of life.
For the ninth consecutive year, Finland ranked as the world’s happiest country, with a score of 7.7. Iceland and Denmark followed it, as Nordic nations continued to dominate the top of the index.
A notable development came from Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place — the highest ranking ever recorded for a Latin American country.
Other countries with low rankings included Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has welcomed the temporary ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan announced in connection with the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, calling for continued efforts to reduce tensions and achieve lasting peace.
Anwar shared the message during a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif. In a Facebook post, Anwar emphasized the importance of dialogue and de-escalation, while also expressing concern over rising tensions in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran, and urging all parties to prioritize peaceful solutions.
Pakistan said it had temporarily suspended military operations in Afghanistan at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. Afghan authorities likewise announced a halt to operations during Eid, citing goodwill and similar requests from regional partners.
The ceasefire follows weeks of heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including Durand Line clashes and airstrikes.
Separately, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call discussed regional developments with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reaffirming Turkey’s commitment to peace and stability and stressing continued cooperation for long-term security.
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