Daily Times

KABUL: An Afghan Taliban delegation has reached Pakistan from Qatar for talks with officials to raise various issues, including “arrests” of some insurgent leaders, shutting down of some religious seminaries for Afghan refugees and “increasing problems” facing the displaced community in the neighbouring country, the Voice of America reported.

The visit raised speculation over efforts to revive peace negotiations days after reports of secret talks between the Taliban and Afghan officials in Qatar, AFP reported.

The Taliban delegation will brief Pakistani security agencies on the Qatar meetings – which did not include Pakistani representatives – and complain about the recent arrests of some of its senior commanders in Pakistan, said Reuters while quoting a senior Taliban member based in Doha.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group routinely interacts with countries with which Afghanistan enjoys diplomatic ties. He said that the delegation from Qatar had gone to Pakistan to take up with officials there the problems confronting Afghan refugees, their arrests and forceful evictions and deportations. However, he said no political issues or discussions on prospects of any peace talks with the Afghan government would be on the table. The spokesman rejected reports that the visit was meant to brief Pakistani authorities on recent ‘secret’ meetings between the Taliban and Afghan officials in Doha.

The delegation consists of two former ministers in the deposed Taliban government, Mullah Jan Muhammad Madani and Mullah Abdul Salam, and a former ambassador to Pakistan, Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar. All three are considered highly influential and respected within the Afghan insurgency. Pakistani officials have not yet commented on the visit.

Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal told the VOA he “was aware of their (Taliban) visit”, without discussing further details. Speaking in Kabul, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shakeb Mustaghani criticised the visit.

“This visit is not related to Afghanistan, and travel bans placed on members of the delegation by UN sanctions should be taken into account. However, if the visit is related to peace activities, it needs to be fully explained,” said Mustaghani, without elaborating. He was referring to UN travel restrictions on Taliban officials based in Qatar.

The visit comes after a senior Afghan official requesting anonymity told the VOA earlier this week that Afghan intelligence chief Muhammad Masoom Stanekzai held two secret meetings with Taliban political envoys in Qatar in September and early October to discuss ways to resume the peace and reconciliation talks.

But Taliban spokesman Mujahid swiftly denied those reports as Kabul’s propaganda, saying none of its officials met Stanekzai or any other representative of the Afghan government.