KABUL (PAN): Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar on Sunday asked President Hamid Karzai to take parliament into confidence on sending a government delegation to Qatar for talks with the Taliban.
The Taliban’s political office -- the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- was opened in Doha last week, with support from the Obama administration. But the move drew strong condemnation from Kabul.
While chairing the Meshrano Jirga session, Muslimyar said the government should explain its decision to the parliament before dispatching negotiators to Doha.
“We want the president to avoid taking any unilateral steps as long as parliamentarians, political leaders, tribal elders and religious scholars don’t take a unanimous decision on the opening of Taliban’s office in Qatar,” he remarked.
The opening of Taliban’s office under the name of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan meant a parallel government, he argued, suggesting peace talks with the militants be conducted in Kabul.
Negotiations between the Taliban and Americans could not bring peace and stability to the country, said a senator from Uruzgan, Amanullah Azimi, who urged the rebels to talk to the Afghans through jirgas.
Muslimyar criticised the lowering of Taliban’s flag and said that if the movement was really fighting for the glory of Islam, it would have ignored US requests in this regard.
The US had deposited $238 million in bank accounts of Taliban leaders, the chairman alleged, without giving details of the cash transfers.