Ex-Warlord Hekmatyar Blames Kabul For Obstructing Peace Process With Hezb-e-Islami, Talibs

Ex-Warlord Hekmatyar Blames Kabul for Obstructing Peace Process With Hezb-e-Islami, Talibs

The Afghan government has reneged on its commitments under the peace deal with Hizb-e-Islami, including on prisoner release and integration of former militants, and is now obstructing a peace process with the Taliban, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Hezb-e-Islami leader and an ex-warlord, told Sputnik

KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) The Afghan government has reneged on its commitments under the peace deal with Hizb-e-Islami, including on prisoner release and integration of former militants, and is now obstructing a peace process with the Taliban, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Hezb-e-Islami leader and an ex-warlord, told Sputnik.

The Afghan government and Hezb-e-Islami struck a peace deal in September 2016. Under the agreement, the then-Islamist militia vowed to cease support to any terrorist groups, stop all military activities and stick to the permanent ceasefire. Kabul in return pledged to remove the group from blacklists.

"So far [President] Ashraf Ghani has not fulfilled the promises he made to Hezb-e-Islami. Release of prisoners, integration of Mujahideen, land for refugees, attracting party cadres into the government were the promises made in the agreement. So we will not take part in any work that is being done under the leadership of the government," Hekmatyar, a 2019 presidential candidate and ex-prime minister, said.

According to the former warlord, the government is now also reluctant to make steps toward the peace process with the Taliban.

"The government is an obstacle to peace, both with Hezb-e-Islami and with the Taliban. Three years and eight months have passed since the signing of the agreement between the government and Hezb-e-Islami, but the Hezb-e-Islami prisoners have not been released yet. If it were not for US pressure, the Taliban would not have released the prisoners for peace," Hekmatyar argued.

Intra-Afghan talks were to start in early March under a peace deal that the United States signed with the Taliban in late February. The process has, however, stalled due to disagreements over mutual prisoner release.

In mid-June, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Khalilzad said that intra-Afghan talks are closer than ever, praising Kabul for freeing over 3,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban for releasing more than 500 government prisoners. The radical movement has long insisted that the government free all 5,000 prisoners at once.

The head of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, who is expected to lead the intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban, said in late June that Kabul sets no preconditions for the negotiations and is ready to start them at any time.