(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY
ANCHOR CHRISTY LEWIS
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced his government is giving up on peace talks with the Taliban. Negotiations will now focus on Afghanistan’s neighbor. CNN explains.
“Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s focusing his efforts on peace talks with Pakistan. The Afghan leader and his aides have given up any kinds of talks with the Taliban militants. The move comes just weeks after a Taliban militant killed Afghanistan’s top peace negotiator.”
euronews recaps the details of that top peace negotiator’s death, and notes—the decision is a big shift for Karzai.
“The move, which reverses Karzai’s long-held determination to talk with the Taliban, follows the assassination last week by a suicide bomber of former President Burhannudin Rabbani, who headed the High Peace Council. Rabbani was killed by an envoy claiming to bring a letter from the Taliban to his Kabul home...”
One reason to shift talks -- The Afghanistan intelligence service, or NDS, says it’s found evidence that shows Rabbani’s murder was plotted in Afghanistan’s neighboring country. As Voice of America reports...
“A spokesman for … NDS said Saturday the evidence is now with Pakistan's embassy in Kabul. ... The NDS said the September 20 suicide bombing that killed Mr. Rabbani was plotted in Satellite, a suburb of the Pakistani city of Quetta. Taliban leaders are believed [to be] based in Quetta.”
Karzai said talks with Afghanistan were futile. The BBC explains in more detail.
“Mr Karzai … said there were no partners for dialogue among the Taliban. It was not possible to find the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.”
Karzai added -- :
“‘Who is the other side in the peace process? I do not have any other answer but to say Pakistan is the other side in the peace talks with us.’”
Pakistan’s interior minister has dismissed the accusations, calling them ‘false’ and ‘baseless.’ Karzai is expected to outline his new negotiation strategy early next week.
