Taliban Reject Peace Talks Pressure By Pakistan In Secret Meetings

خبر ها - افغانستان

چهارشنبه 26 حوت 1394 ساعت 19:12 نوشته شده توسط Shakeela Ibrahimkhil

Translations pending.

Pakistani officials reportedly threatened to expel Afghanistan's Taliban from bases in Pakistan if they did not join peace talks this month, but the militants rebuffed their traditional patron, two officials said, casting doubt on how much influence Islamabad retains over them.

After secret meeting with Pakistani officials about two weeks ago, the Taliban's Supreme Council met at an undisclosed location and voted to reject the talks scheduled for early March with the Afghan govement, according to a council member, reported Reuters.

Instead, the insurgents are now pouring back into Afghanistan for what they say will be a fierce spring offensive to be launched soon.

Reuters reported that Pakistan's influence over the insurgents is the lynchpin to the peace plan developed over the last few months by Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China to bring an end to the 15-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Nafees Zakaria, a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Office, said he had no knowledge of meetings with the Taliban but added, "we usually don't know who has met with whom" in the sensitive and high-level peace initiative.

In Kabul, however, members of the Afghan govement were skeptical about Pakistan's assertions, reported Reuters.

"Pakistan's honesty and sincerity with regard to the Afghan peace process has always been a question," said an Afghan cabinet member, echoing the sentiment of several officials interviewed there.

Reuters reported a member of the Taliban's leadership council, or shura, whose members are mostly based in Pakistan and Afghanistan but also travel between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, said rebel representatives met in Islamabad with Pakistani officials a little more than two weeks ago.

"They have asked our representatives to bring more decision-making people to the next meeting ... to the meeting with U.S. and Afghan officials. This is their dream, but they will not be able to see our senior commanders," the Taliban council member said.

However, Taliban commanders told Reuters that with the council's decision, they are focusing on launching their annual fighting season with the hopes of grabbing more territory.

"We already have started focusing on the spring offensive, and that's why the majority of the fighters and commanders are going there (Afghanistan)," said a senior Taliban figure, based in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan.

Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani's deputy spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi said: "We expect that Pakistan brings those Taliban on which it has influence to the table of negotiations."

"We will take military action against those terrorist groups that want to use our territory for terrorist activities – as we did the same against them in the past," he added.

The Afghanistan High Peace Council (HPC) meanwhile called on Pakistan to stay firm on its commitments it has made regarding Afghanistan.

"Pakistan should stay committed to its promises it has made in the quadrilateral meeting to bring the Taliban to the peace talks table," said HPC member Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar.

Afghan expert and university lecturer, Nasrullah Stanikzai, meanwhile said Afghanistan should not expect any good things from Pakistan as it has not proved its sincerity towards Afghanistan through history.

"We cannot have expectations from a country that has had wrong policies since 1947 and that has been a problem in South Asia since 1947," he said.

It comes as the Afghan govement expects direct peace talks with the Taliban at the end of this month.

افغان فردا...