HPC Rejects Official Meeting with Taliban Representatives

The High Peace Council (HPC) rejects reports about the official meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives.

The chairman of HPC, Karim Khalili declared that pre-conditions for holding an official meeting between Taliban and Afghan officials have been provided.

“We are optimistic about the contacts that we had with Taliban representatives. But no official meeting has been held between the two sides so far,” Khalili said.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman has also rejected reports over the group’s representatives have met an Afghan government delegation this week.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a self-proclaimed spokesman for the Taliban group, released a short statement denying the meeting less than a month before voters are scheduled to go to the polls to elect a new Afghan parliament.

Previously, Reuters has reported that Taliban representatives have met Afghan delegation in Saudi Arabia ahead of the country’s parliamentary election.

This comes as an Afghan religious scholars delegation has left for Pakistan to meet the country’s religious scholars and make preparations for a big religious summit in Pakistan.