Pakistan Prevents Taliban To Engage Directly With Afghan Gov’t: Senate

Pakistan is the main obstacle in front of direct peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban, a senior Afghan senator warned on Tuesday.

“Pakistan never want a peaceful Afghanistan and this country will never stop its interference in Afghanistan’s affairs. This country prevents Taliban to join peace talks,” Farhad Sakhi, the first deputy of Afghan Senate House said.

Recently reports emerged that Pakistan has issued a stark warning to the Afghan Taliban over being sidelined from the Taliban’s secret talks with the Afghan government.

The Associated Press citing two Taliban officials reported that Islamabad has told the Taliban to either include Pakistan in the negotiations or have all the top Taliban leaders leave the country with their families.

A number of Afghan senators questions if Taliban is independent, how their delegation have travelled to Pakistan to brief Pakistan about their secret talks with Kabul.

“Unfortunately, Taliban are travelling to Pakistan to brief the country about their secret talks with the Afghan government. It is clear they are not independent,” Afghan senator Mohammad Alam Ayzadyar asserted.

Meanwhile, recently the former head of the Taliban’s Doha office, Muhammad Tayyab Agha urged Taliban’s new leader to leave Pakistan and break ties with Islamabad in a letter.

“This Pakistan’s direct interference in Afghanistan’s affairs. They are not allowing the Taliban militants to resume direct talks with Afghan government,” Senator Jumauddin Gianoul claimed.

The report of Pakistan asking the Taliban leaders to leave the country with their families if they sidelined Islamabad from peace talks with Kabul emerged after reportedly Taliban resumed secret talks with Afghan government officials in Doha, the capital city of Qatar.

Reported by: Rafi Sediqi