KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) Civil society institutions in Afghanistan view the upcoming Loya Jirga council, scheduled for the next two days to advise President Ashraf Ghani on the release of 400 Taliban prisoners, as a waste of time and money, Feroz Ahmad, a civil activist, said on Thursday.
In late February, the United States and the Taliban movement signed a peace deal in Qatar, stipulating the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations, as well as prisoner exchange. The Taliban has demanded the release of 5,000 of its members, and the government has so far released 4,600 prisoners. The purpose of the upcoming Loya Jirga, a gathering of Afghan elders and representatives of different communities, is to decide on the release of the remaining Taliban members. Critics of the council say that Ghani has the authority to release prisoners, so the allocation of 330 million afghanis ($4.3 million) for the organization of the meeting between 2,000 delegates was unnecessary.
"We are against the Loya Jirga in Kabul, because our country is very poor and can't afford Afs [afghanis] 330 million for three days," Ahmad said, as quoted by the TOLOnews broadcaster.
On Wednesday, Masoom Stanekzai, the chairman of the Jirga's formation commission, said that that the council would serve Afghanistan's interests and praised the government for convening the meeting.
"Some people call it a waste of time ... In fact, it is a comprehensive step by the government to involve the people's representatives in consultations. It is in the national interest and this Jirga is called for peace," Stanekzai said during a conference.
The chairman also said that there were no foreigners among the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners, and that that the president had no authority to release them without the Loya Jirga.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has said in a statement that the group considers the scheduled council meeting a waste of time and an obstacle to the intra-Afghan peace process.
The Aghan government has deployed thousands of soldiers for maintaining security during the council meeting in Kabul, and authorities said that the Loya Jirga could be further prolonged for more than two days if necessary.
