HPC concerned about Mutasim’s disappearance

KABUL (HPC) on Thursday said hidden and unhidden hands had always been there to sabotage the Afghan peace process when a breakthrough was expected.

Mutasim has been missing over the past two weeks in the gulf nation and he is the only Taliban leader who supports peace talks with the Afghan government

The HPC issued a statement, saying the Afghan government was in contact with UAE officials to help free Agha Jan from restrictions.

Afghanistan has been struggling over the past two years to find a negotiated end to the decades-long violence in the country, the statement said.

HPC officials had the experience that peace parlays had been always disrupted by hidden and unhidden regional hands whenever the two sides — the Taliban and the government — had reached a real progress.

The statement said those really interested in peace negotiations were always victimised for their honesty by Afghanistan’s enemies.

“Such incidents tell us that the Afghans can only be safe inside their own country and they have real freedom abroad.”

On April 11, the HPC said peace negotiations were in progress with some former Taliban leaders in the UAE and that the body was ready to enter a second round of peace talks with them.

In early February, during a meeting with HPC officials, Agha Jan said if the Pakistani Taliban could enter peace talks with their government, why not the Afghan Taliban.

But after that meeting, the Taliban in a statement said Agha Jan was no longer associated with the movement and the meeting in Dubai did not represent them.

mds/ma

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