The High Council for National Reconciliation on Sunday said that the result of the Republic team’s five-day consultation with political leaders and politicians has been that the second round of the negotiations should resume at the scheduled time, which is January 5.
The negotiators are expected to meet lawmakers, the leadership committee of the reconciliation council and the public during their stay in Kabul.
“There won’t be any problem from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s side. We are ready to hold the talks at their scheduled time,” said Fraidoon Khwazoon, a spokesman for the High Council for National Reconciliation.
But the resumption of the negotiations in Doha on January 5 is associated with many questions and concerns among political figures in the country who say they hope that the talks are resumed in a timely fashion.
“I am concerned, and I hope that the talks begin as soon as possible by the effort of the international community and the people of Afghanistan. We hope that the talks will resume, but they might be postponed,” said Mohammad Ismail, former mujahideen leader.
Critics said there is a need for a political consensus around the peace process to make it a success.
“What is the point of the sacrifice the public is bearing? Who benefits from it? And how long will it continue?” asked Gul Rahman Qazi, head of Afghanistan Council for Peace and Salvation, a Kabul-based political party.
Reuters reported that the members of the Taliban’s political office in Doha are expected to hold talks with their senior leadership in Pakistan where they are expected to share their grievances about the increased violence.
The US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in a series of tweets on Sunday reiterated his call on the Afghan warring parties to swiftly end the violence and agree to a political settlement to end the conflict as soon as possible.
“We condemn the ongoing high level of violence and we condemn all those who authorize and carry out such attacks across Afghanistan, creating terror and bloodshed,” Khalilzad said.
Referring to the recent explosion in a religious gathering in Ghazni province, Khalilzad said both the Afghan government and the Taliban must respect the demands of the Afghan people and agree on a political settlement soon.
Meanwhile, a group of political and mujahideen elders in the south zone at a ceremony in Kandahar on Sunday called on the government to avoid making hurdles for peace.
They said the government has ignored political figures and movements in the peace process, adding that the double standard treatment towards Kandahar has increased violence in the province and that the Taliban has captured many parts of the southern province.