Intra-Afghan dialogue should quickly yield peace, says former Taliban leader

In this file photo, Agha Jan Mutasim, a former Taliban leader, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul on Feb. 7, 2018. (AP)

• Mutasim was finance minister and head of political affairs during Taliban rule
• Says reaching agreement with Ghani’s government should be hassle-free because it is between fellow Afghans

PESHAWAR: Weary of war, the Afghan government and the Taliban will not back away from their peace commitments if intra-Afghan negotiations take place, a former Taliban leader told Arab News.
“The entire Afghan nation, including the Afghan government and the Taliban are vying for peace. We have bitter experience that war only brings catastrophe. Wars leave mothers widowed and kids orphaned, so peace is the only way to get out of the current situation,” Agha Jan Mutasim told Arab News in a video interview on Tuesday.
Mutasim served as finance minister during Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Later he was in charge of the Taliban’s political affairs. He used to be a member of the Quetta Shoura, the supreme council of the Taliban movement, and is married to a daughter of the Taliban founder Mullah Omar.
The intra-Afghan talks have been expected to follow a peace deal signed by the US and Taliban in Doha, Qatar on Feb. 29.
On Tuesday, media reports said that the US had started pulling out its troops from Afghanistan, in accordance with the deal.
Sonny Leggett, US military spokesman in Afghanistan, said in a statement that US service-members had begun “conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600.” The US has around 13,000 military personnel in the country.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a speech following his oath of office on Monday hinted that Kabul is going to start releasing Taliban prisoners in light of the agreement.
“The US-Taliban rapprochement is a welcome step, paving way for US to withdraw its trapped troops and Afghans to decide their future with consensus,” Mutasim said, adding that the deal with Americans was an uphill task because the US forces were considered an occupation force.
Reaching an agreement with the Ghani-led government, he said, should be quick and hassle-free because it would involve fellow countrymen.
When asked whether the Taliban will again want to found an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan, Mutasim said that since there are already other emirates in the world, like the UAE, the “hysteria” that the Taliban may establish a harsh rule was unfounded.
“Let me clarify that the Taliban have now exposure globally, visiting world states from Europe to Russia and they will reach a settlement acceptable to all Afghans. Afghanistan is at war for over four decades now and our entire generation is brought up in foreign countries, the new setup will measure up to the expectations of all,” he said.
The new setup, he added, would also allay the reservations of neighboring countries that the Afghan soil would again be used against their interests.
He suggested that the intra-Afghan talks should be held in Saudi Arabia.
“The sealing of the US-Taliban deal in Doha was a challenging job to be done. Now, the intra-Afghan talks will yield tangible results if its initial rounds are held in Makkah and Medina, the two holiest places for Muslims on earth. Once they strike a deal, the parties will not deviate from their pledges because of the sanctity of the two holy places,” Mutasim said.
As another venue for the peace talks he suggested the UAE.
Thousands of Afghan expats in UAE have been sending handsome remittances back home every month, he said, adding that “the Gulf country could be a neutral venue for hosting some of the rounds of intra-Afghan talks.”
Meanwhile, the intra-Afghan dialogue is facing another challenge as while Ghani’s swearing-in ceremony was ongoing on Monday, his rival Abdullah Abdullah announced himself the country’s new ruler.
Afghanistan’s electoral commission last month announced that Ghani had won over 50 percent of September’s presidential vote, but Abdullah rejected the result and declared himself the winner.