Interim Afghan govt ‘only solution’: Hekmatyar

KABUL: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hizb-e-Islami party, at a press conference on Sunday said that “the Taliban has not accepted the current government and an interim government is the only solution.”

Hekmatyar, making comments about his recent trip to Pakistan, said that peace will come to Afghanistan and he will play his role in the peace process, adding that Pakistan has assured him that Islamabad will work honestly in the Afghan peace process. Regarding the security issue in the country, Hekmatyar said that the security of the country is the responsibility of the government and “if it is not able to, then it should be left to the people to provide security.”

Five days ago, Hekmatyar at an Islamabad press conference said that the United States has been “defeated in Afghanistan,” adding that the US has “no choice except to leave the country.” Regarding the current peace process between the negotiating sides in Doha, Hekmatyar said that the current talks in Doha are between the teams of the Presidential Palace and the Taliban, stating that the Doha talks are not intra-Afghan talks.

“Current talks in Doha are between the team of the Arg (Presidential Palace) and the Taliban. These talks are not intra-Afghan talks, because many Afghan political parties are not present in these talks, we are not there. There is a need for consensus first so that we can go toward the talks with a unified idea,” he had said. In Pakistan, Hekmatyar met with top Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The talks on the procedural rules continue between both sides of the Afghan peace negotiations, a spokesman for the High Council for National Reconciliation Faraidon Khwazoon said on Saturday, as violence continues to take lives of Afghans in large numbers. Khwazoon said a meeting about the agenda of the negotiations is expected to happen soon. “Discussions continue between the two sides on the disputed points. We hope that an agreement is reached — including the recommendations and the suggestions from the two sides— so that we can have a roadmap for the formal talks,” said Khwazoon.