Sultani claims she will hold talks with govt on Taliban’s behalf

KABUL-approved delegation for peace talks with the government, which both the government and the Taliban deny.

Other members of the delegation are Sayed Naveed Ziwari, a teacher at the Kabul Polytechnic University and Ihsan Javed, a former transport and aviation minister, Sultani told a news conference in Kabul.

The MP had previously claimed that the Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had appointed her as a Taliban representative for peace talks. But the government and the Taliban reject her claim as baseless.

She also claimed to have met Omar somewhere in Afghanistan. Omar was ready for talks, she said, accusing the Afghan government of showing no interest in his offer.

Sultani said the tree-member delegation had provided the government a draft, but she did not go into details.

The lawmaker also saw foreign troops as main reason behind the war and insurgency in the country, urging the government to consider the Taliban’s peace proposals.

She also read out a resolution that said some government officials were against the peace and stability in the country.

A presidential spokesman, Emal Faizi, said he had no information about the three-member delegation.

He said the Loya Jirga beginning on Wednesday would discuss a mechanism for peace talks with the Taliban.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, rejected Sultani’s claim as baseless, saying her claims were a ploy for attention and political gain.

mm/ma/kg

Visits: 14