Afghan gov’t wraps up prisoner swap after Taliban hands over Commandos

Thursday marked a historic day for Afghanistan as all Taliban prisoners, except for seven, were freed and a number of Afghan National Army Commandos held captive by the Taliban were handed over to authorities, paving the way for intra-Afghan negotiations. 

National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said the prisoner release process has almost ended and peace talks can now start. 

He said: “It is imperative that intra-Afghan peace talks begin as soon as possible.

“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received our commandos held hostage by Taliban, after which the government released the remaining 400 convicts, except the few for which our partners have reservations. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We expect direct talks to start promptly,” he said. 

Seven Taliban prisoners have not been released due to concerns raised by the US, France and Australia. These prisoners were convicted of killing French and Australian citizens. 

Earlier in the day, Reuters reported the seven would be sent to Qatar and held under supervision. 

This development has raised hopes that intra-Afghan negotiations will start within the next few days in Doha, however no details have yet been released. 

Meanwhile, in a telephone conversation with Acting Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday that Pakistan would consistently support Afghanistan on its path to peace and development. 

Pakistan has long been accused of supporting the Taliban but has voiced support to the peace process lately. 

In a statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry Thursday, Qureshi said: “It [is] important that the Afghan leaders seize this historic opportunity and achieve an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan.”

He also welcomed the recent developments on the release of prisoners and urged all parties to take the necessary steps to start peace talks. 

Qureshi also emphasized that intra-Afghan negotiations would also provide an opportunity to address the return of Afghan refugees currently in Pakistan.