Afghan Gov’t Will Pursue ‘Win-Win Deal’ with Taliban for Peace Talks: HPC

Afghanistan’s Chairman of High Peace Council (HPC) reiterates call on the Taliban to join peace talks; says government will pursue ‘win-win deal’ with group, meaning none of the negotiators would give up or fail.   

Describing the recently deadly attacks in capital Kabul and in other provinces including car bomb blast in Lashkargah of southern Helmand province that left at least 29 dead and 60 injured, the Head of HPC, Karim Khalili said the Taliban took a clear stand against the recent attacks by not claiming the responsibility which is a positive act towards peace.

“There is no failure or give up in the peace process but the interaction of win-win situation which none of the sides would fail,” Khalili said. “We have a defined message that peace is not a reason for setback.”

He also said that the people’s critique should not be to overthrow the government or to government consider the criticism a step towards collapse of the system.

The remarks of Afghan Chairman of High Peace Council comes as the Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada in a defiant message of coming Eid al-Fitr has called on the United States to quit Afghanistan for peace.

“The occupation is the main obstacle in the way of peace,” he said.

Akhundzada urged the United States to accept the “legitimate demands of the Afghan people” and seek peace through diplomatic means.

“The solution of the Afghan issue through peaceful means is part and parcel of the policy of the Islamic Emirate, should the occupation come to an end,” he said.

In the statement, the Taliban leader consider the government of President Ashraf Ghani as a “stooge” of America and blamed for rising ethnic and factional tensions in Kabul elsewhere.

He also urged Taliban fighters to avoid civilian casualties, a call likely to be dismissed by the government and its allies following Thursday’s attack in Helmand and last month’s deadly truck bomb in Kabul that killed at least 150 people.