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Afghan govt to present single plan at Istanbul Summit: Saleh
First Vice President Amrullah Saleh has confirmed the Afghan Republic will present a single plan at the US-proposed Istanbul Summit which is scheduled for later this month and that the plan includes the suggestion of early elections.
Speaking to BBC, Saleh said the Republic’s plan, which includes early elections, stipulates that incumbent president Ashraf Ghani will not run for presidency.
Saleh said the Afghan government also wants regional and international guarantees for peace and assurances that no deals are made that gives one group all the power.
Saleh said the Republic’s peace plan is comprehensive.
“One of the reasons this plan will be unified is because the president has made it clear that he wants early elections and that he and his deputies will not be [electoral] candidates,” said Saleh.
However, the Republic’s plan sets out conditional resignations. The plan reportedly states that Ghani and his two vice presidents will not hand over power to a transitional government headed by an unelected president.
“We want a global guarantee, because the world owes Afghanistan, we are not asking for charity, this should be very clear, the deal that is being done, does not mean that a group enters from a window for conquest, coup and killing, these are the important points of this peace [plan],” Saleh said.
Meanwhile, the Turkish ambassador to NATO says the Doha talks need to be wrapped up at the Istanbul Summit and all Afghan leaders must agree on a political solution.
“All Afghan leaders are expected to be invited, as well as all important international and regional players, the United Nations, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States. We expect this meeting to complete the Doha talks. This is part of the peace process. All Afghan leaders must agree on a political solution,” said Turkey’s permanent representative to NATO Basat Öztürk.
Meanwhile, International Human Rights Watch has called for the full participation of Afghan women at the Istanbul Summit.
The organization says the UN, as the host of the Istanbul Summit, must ensure that women take part in the main negotiations and that women do not only engage in discussions on the sidelines.
The Istanbul Summit is expected to take place on April 16, in just eight days, and is expected to shape Afghanistan’s future political landscape.
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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.
Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.
Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”
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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”
Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.
“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.
Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.
He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.
Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.
The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.
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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin
Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.
“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”
He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.
His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.
The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.
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