Seven major political parties of Afghanistan have suggested the creation of an inclusive and strong council with the president and influential politicians in its structure to undertake the management of the government’s peace negotiating team with the Taliban.  

These parties also warned that if Afghanistan’s influential political leaders were not directly involved in the intra-Afghan talks, the peace negotiations will not lead to a substantial conclusion. 

“The Hizb-e-Islami party and all other political parties consider the peace process an issue of national interest and therefore they recommend the creation of a strong and inclusive council comprising his excellency the president [Ashraf Ghani] and other prominent political leaders so that this council can undertake the management of the delegation and the peace process with the Taliban,” said Humayun Jarir, member of Hizb-e-Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. 

A representative of Jamiat-e-Islami party said the Afghan government is not allowing Afghanistan’s influential political leaders to create consensus on the peace talks at the national level. 

“A meeting of politicians and other national personalities is underway in Kabul. They likely to take another decision if the government continues to create hurdles on the way of the peace process,” said Aziz Aryanfar, member of Jamiat-e-Islami leadership council. 

A member of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan led by First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum said the government is trying to pick those individuals in the structure of the negotiating team who are hearing only from President Ghani. 

“We only know that 15 people have been appointed in the negotiating team and changes were brought in the structure of the team several times. As far as we know, the government is trying to pick those people in the team who are influenced by Mr. Ghani, therefore, such an approach will not lead to any outcome,” said Bashir Ahmad Tahyanj, member of the leadership council of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. 

He said that when it comes to the intra-Afghan talks, they prefer that a consensus of the Afghan political leaders and other influential figures should be created alongside the Afghan government where the Afghan government play its role as an official institution 

He emphasized that political parties and other influential personalities should not be sidelined. 

“Major political addresses should be included in the structure of the delegation. The factions of Hizb-e-Wahdat which represent the Hazara community including Jamiat-e-Islami party, Hizb-e-Islami, Hizb-e-Junbishi Milli and others from various addresses should be in the structure, otherwise, this structure will be incomplete and will not be accountable,” said Assadullah Saadati, member of Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami. 

According to presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, the negotiating team will be inclusive. 

“Efforts have been made to create an inclusive delegation and those individuals who can represent a new Afghanistan,” Mr. Sediqqi told reporters in Kabul on Monday.  

This comes at a time the US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad and senior figures from the Taliban are pushing for a peace deal in Doha. 

Sources have said that if the two sides reach to a settlement on the remaining dispute points, a peace deal will be signed between them in the next ten days and the move will pave the way for first intra-Afghan talks. 

Back in July, the Afghan government announced that it had formed a 15-member peace negotiating after holding a series of discussions and consultations with all sides involved in the process inside and outside the country.