Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, left Kabul on Monday bound for Tajikistan to discuss the Afghan peace process, his office said in a statement. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation.

“During his two-day official visit, he will meet Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, Prime Minister Qahir Rasoulzadeh and other Tajik officials,” the statement said. 

Abdullah will “discuss the Afghan peace process, regional support and bilateral relations” in his meetings in Tajikistan, the statement added.  

Timely Resumption of Talks 

On Sunday, the High Council for National Reconciliation said that the result of the Republic team’s five-day consultation with political leaders and politicians was to determine 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. 

But the resumption of the negotiations in Doha on January 5 has raised many questions and concerns among political figures in the country who say they hope that the talks are resumed in a timely fashion. 

Critics said there is a need for a political consensus around the peace process to make it a success. 

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, according to his office.