Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hizb-e-Islami, on Tuesday said during an Eid prayer ceremony in Kabul that any insurgent group that continues this war and refuses to accept peace, is an enemy of Islam and the Afghan people.
Hekmatyar said such groups are fighting in Afghanistan on the orders of foreigners and for the interests of foreigners but blaming it on the presence of foreign troops in the country.
Hekmatyar’s remarks come after President Ashraf Ghani’s announcement on Sunday of a conditional ceasefire with the Taliban. Ghani said the ceasefire would be upheld if the Taliban reciprocated. However the Taliban has not responded.
“Anyone who continues the war and creates problems against peace, they are the enemy of people, religion and the country and are serving the foreigners,” said Hekmatyar.
Hekmatyar also criticized Taliban’s attacks on Ghazni city, especially attacks on residential areas.
Meanwhile sources said in the next two weeks Mullah Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, head of Taliban’s Qatar office, will attend a meeting in Moscow to discuss the Afghan peace process.
According to sources, no representative from Afghanistan will attend the Moscow meeting, but representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Russia and some other central Asian countries will attend.
“We hope that in this meeting they (Taliban) not only discuss their own demands, but also discuss the demands of the Afghan people,” Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, head of the New National Front of Afghanistan said.
Meanwhile sources close to Taliban confirmed that the group has been invited to the Moscow meeting and that representatives from the group will probably attend the meeting.
“I think Taliban’s meetings and visits with foreign countries is a positive sign of the group’s interest in peace talks,” Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander said.
Hekmatyar also accused circles in government of interfering in the electoral commissions affairs.
“The electoral commissions weakness, lack of independence and unfair distribution of ID cards and stickers is fraud,” said Hekmatyar.
The Presidential Palace however said President Ashraf Ghani issued an order barring government interference in electoral commissions’ affairs.