July 25, 2019
The Taliban can take part in the September 28 presidential election if they start negotiations with the Afghan government, a spokesman for Afghan chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah told local media outlet Tolo News on July 24.
Speaking four days before the presidential election campaign starts, the spokesman, Fraidoon Khwazoon, said “the door is open for the Taliban whenever they are willing to come and sit with the Afghan government and take part in democratic and national stages.”
His comments also came a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he will meet with the Taliban to try and persuade them start negotiations with the Western-backed government in Kabul.
“Now I will meet the Taliban…to get them to talk to the Afghan government, and so that the election” can be inclusive, Khan said at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on July 23.
There are 17 candidates vying for President Ashraf Ghani’s seat who is seeking a second term.
All of them are men, including a former warlord.
The election comes at a time when militants launch attacks almost every day on Afghan security forces despite peace efforts gaining momentum to put an end to the nearly 18-year war.
The Taliban control or contest around half of the country, controlling more territory than any time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 ousted the group from power.
Washington has said it is ready to pull foreign forces out of the country in exchange for a set of Taliban security guarantees. One of them is for Afghanistan not to become a haven for terrorist groups.
The United States is aiming for a deal by September 1, before the presidential election.
If no one wins a majority, a second round will take place, most likely in November.
Source: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Disclaimer: Views expressed on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or supported by the Afghan Studies Center and Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad.
