MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2020) New Delhi welcomes the three-day ceasefire announced in Afghanistan on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the Indian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The Taliban militant group declared on Saturday that it would cease fire for three days to honor the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the group's decision and said he had ordered the Afghan National Defense Security Forces to comply with the truce that took effect on Sunday.
"India welcomes the understanding reached for a ceasefire in Afghanistan for three days during the Eid. We hope that this ceasefire would extend further and become permanent to address the dire humanitarian situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and pave the way for durable peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan. India stands with the people of Afghanistan in their quest for enduring peace, security, sovereignty, and prosperity," the ministry said.
Earlier in the day, Ghani said that the process of the release of Taliban militants from prisons would be expedited in order to facilitate the start of the intra-Afghan talks.
The United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement at the end of February. The main premises of the deal are the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the launch of intra-Afghan peace talks, subject to a mutual exchange of prisoners. There has been little progress in the Afghan peace process amid continuing violence in the country.
