Hekmatyar Claims Govt Has No Clear Plan for Peace

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hizb-e-Islami political party, in an interview with Ariana News welcomed the intra-Afghan meeting in Doha, saying it is effective for the beginning of the direct talks between the Taliban and the government.

However, he criticized the government for not having a clear plan for beginning talks with the Taliban, adding that it will lead to the continuation of the war.

“The government has no clear and specific plan for peace yet. If you ask any official in the government regarding peace, they do not have a clear answer regarding their position in the peace process” said Hekmatyar.

Moreover, Hekmatyar says the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, ceasefire, the Constitution, and the establishment of an interim government needs serious discussions.

Therefore, he says that the upcoming presidential election should not be sacrificed because of the peace efforts.

“Reaching to real peace is not possible unless all sides agree on peace, accept the elections as the only legitimate way for reaching the power,” he added.

Hekmatyar further stressed that the deprivation of refugees, interference of foreigner forces, and frauds in the upcoming election will not be acceptable.

“We will stand against a fraudulent and imposed election and will not accept it. We want a transparent and independent election,” he said.

The government officials denied making a comment in this regard.

However, President Ghani, previously, had said that the presidential election will not be sacrificed for the peace efforts and will be held as scheduled.