The United Nations Security Council on Friday removed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s name from its sanction list.

The move comes after the Afghan government signed a peace deal with Hezb-i-Islami Hekmatyar and officially asked U.N. to remove his name from its sanctions list.

He was included in the U.N. sanctions list of people and entities associated with ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida on Feb 2003.

According to a statement released by the United Nations on Saturday, sanctions like “the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo” no longer apply to him.

Now it is paving the way for him to come to the capital Kabul and already he is expected to appear within weeks.

Hekmatyar’s whereabouts have been unknown but he is believed to be in Afghanistan/Pakistan border areas. On September he signed the peace deal with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani via a prerecorded video from an undisclosed location.

“Based on the 2253 paragraph second of the Security Council of United Nation Organization resolution travel banning, freezing properties, military sanctions written on 2015, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will be no more on the sanction list.”

President Advisor Akram Ikhpulwak said, “Necessary measurements especially security and other related measurements were taken for the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar return to the country, we are waiting for his return and there is no problem and barriers ahead.”

Meanwhile Hezb-i- Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar special envoy Karim Amin said, “The measurements will take three weeks, and our Mujahid brother will safely come to Kabul city.”

Efforts launched by the Afghanistan High peace council members resulted and gradually the following party leader will come to Kabul.

Deputy of the High peace council AbdulKhabeer Uchqon said, “The negotiation with Gullbuddin Hekmatyar truly indicates that Afghan Government and people are committed to ensure peace within the territory, i m sure both sides gaining benefits from signing the peace agreement do not gain it through war and violence.”

Meanwhile Human rights defenders believed that exemption of Gullbudding Hekmatary will improve the impunity culture in the country.

Executive chief of Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan Mohammad Musa Mahmoodi said, “Removing of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from the United National sanction list will improve impunity culture and its continuation in the country and it will also indicate that the existed International mechanisms is selective one.”

After Taliban fall in Afghanistan, Hezb-i- Islami led by the Gullbuddin Hekmatyar held guns against the International forces, and he was blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council on 20 Feb 2003.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, born in 1947 in Kunduz province of Afghanistan, is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-i-Islami political party. He was a major figure during the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan and devastating civil wars of the 1990s.