The Afghan government will officially invite the Taliban to attend the Grand Consultative Jirga on Peace which is scheduled for April 29, President Ghani’s Special Envoy and head of the High Peace Council’s Secretariat, Umer Daudzai, said on Tuesday.   

At last 2,500 delegates are expected to attend the assembly from around the country where they will determine the path towards peace. 

Daudzai said the Jirga will become a joint and national gathering if the Taliban attends it. 

“Hopefully, we will officially invite the Taliban to attend (the Jirga) and if they attend, our stance will become a joint and national stance,” said Daudzai. 

Daudzai said the Afghan people have concerns about the US-Taliban talks and that so far, the details of the talks have not been transparently shared with them. 

The Afghan government, meanwhile, said it expects the US and Taliban to hold their next round of talks in Qatar after the consultative Jirga in Kabul. 

This comes as the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday night for talks on Afghan peace. He visited Kandahar province on Tuesday where he held meetings with local officials and tribal elders on Afghan peace.

Presidential Palace said in a statement on Monday that the results of Khalilzad’s discussions with government will be shared with the people later.

“The incumbent government did not professionally and expertly manage our relations with the US and the interests of teams are prioritized than the interests of the people of Afghanistan,” said Fawzia Kofi, a former MP. 

Meanwhile, former Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai in an article published on the Foreign Policy Journal on Tuesday says the Afghan government cannot make Peace with the Taliban on its own.

He says that negotiations involving a broad group that represents all of Afghanistan—not just its senior politicians—are the only way to achieve a lasting settlement.

An official from Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah’s office said efforts are underway to form an inclusive negotiating team.

“Consultations are ongoing within government to form an inclusive negotiating team,” said Faraidoon Khozon, a spokesman for Abdullah.