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Taliban accuses govt of not being interested in peace talks
The Taliban’s spokesman in Doha, Qatar, Mohammad Naeem, on Tuesday accused the Afghan Republic’s negotiating team of not being interested in moving peace talks forward.
In a video message Tuesday, Naeem said: “Although the two sides had held a number of joint meetings after Eid, the government delegation was not interested in talks and was probably looking forward to [President Ashraf] Ghani and [High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah] Abdullah’s visit to the US.”
Naeem also accused the government’s delegation of leaking information about the peace discussions to the media, and of passing on details around the talks between contact groups to foreign countries.
He said this gave the wrong impression that the Taliban was not interested in talks.
According to Naeem, the Taliban see the peace process as a responsibility, but stated the Afghan Republic was using it as a propaganda tool. He accused government of issuing false “poisonous” propaganda that was contradictory to the peace process.
Talks got off to a good start in September last year but within weeks had all but stalled. In the ensuing months, small groups from both teams have met but no real progress has been achieved.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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