Taliban’s demand for the release of 7,000 prisoners wrecks Doha intra-Afghan talks

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<strong>After two days of closed-door negotiations, the delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban are heading for an Eid break. The two blood brothers at war said before winding up another round of talks that they were “committed to continue negotiations at a high level until a settlement is reached.”  But the fate of these talks hangs in a balance. Much would depend on the ground situation—the outcome of the military engagements in the battlefield during the unfinished course of the civil war which has pitted government forces against the Taliban.</strong></p>
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At the end of their latest round of talks, the two sides issued a short joint statement in which they agreed to continue high level talks on peace, but there was no mention about de-escalation of violence or ceasefire before they broke off for the EID “holiday”.</p>
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Sources in Doha, told indianarrative.com that Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, Special Envoy of Qatar for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution who is acting as  mediator and facilitator for the intra-Afghan peace talks was visibly very upset and uncomfortable with the outcome of the much-hyped meeting.</p>
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According to Qahtani, the two camps "barely agreed" to try "to avoid civilian casualty", far from the hoped-for ceasefire. He termed their behaviour as  “very disgusting and irresponsible” during the ‘talks”.</p>
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Nevertheless, on record, he told the media that , “The two sides agreed to continue negotiations at a high level until a settlement is reached. For this purpose, they will meet again next week.”</p>
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The Taliban say they did not suggest or agree to any ceasefire during the Doha talks.</p>
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According to the sources, the Taliban was hoping for the release of about 7000 prisoners and then announce the  ceasefire. But the Afghan government was not ready to oblige, fearing that the released prisoners would reinforce the Taliban’s strength. The Taliban had told the US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad  that the release of the Taliban prisoners and removal of top Taliban leaders from the UN sanctions list  is part of  confidence-building measures. The formation of a transitional government will be discussed separately under the  political roadmap label. </p>
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It may be recalled that in May, the insurgent group , the Taliban, had unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire  to mark Eid al-Fitr holiday. But not this time.</p>
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Over the years, the Taliban have announced a series of short truces during Islamic holidays, initially spurring hopes for a larger reduction of violence.</p>
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However, the group has been criticised for using the temporary ceasefires to resupply and reinforce their fighters, allowing them to launch withering onslaughts on Afghanistan's security forces once the truce expires.</p>
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Before the talks, the Taliban supremo, Hibatullah Akhundzada who has been staying in a “safe house” in Pakistan had issued a statement on the occasion of Eid al- Adha that instead of relying on foreigners, “let's solve our problems between us (Afghans) and save our homeland from the prevailing crisis.”</p>
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"Despite the advance and the military victories, we remain resolutely in favour of a political settlement. We are, for our part, determined to find a solution through discussions, but the opposite camp continues to waste time”, the Taliban chief said in his message.</p>
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However, Taliban's offensive on the ground is  contradictory to its  claim to support the peace process.</p>
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A group of 15 diplomatic missions, the EU, and the office of NATO’s civilian representative have condemned the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and called for an urgent end to the Taliban’s ongoing military offensive.</p>
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“We condemn the continued targeted killings taking place throughout Afghanistan, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and threats, declarations, and other actions against the gains Afghans have made over the last twenty years,” said the statement issued by Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, and US on the ongoing violence thwarts efforts to arrive at a negotiated solution to the conflict and harms and displaces the civilian population.</p>
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Link : https://twitter.com/USEmbassyKabul/status/1416961615300341767?s=20</p>
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An Afghan journalist who was in Doha, covering the talks said that the Taliban thinks that their bargaining position has become very “strong” and they should have the upper-hand in any talks. Citing his interaction with a few Taliban leaders, the journalist was of the view that with the Pakistani “support” , the Taliban is confident of capturing half the country, hence the international community should give them “diplomatic” recognition immediately.</p>
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“Taliban only cares about Islamabad, not Islam.” he told Indianarrative.com</p>
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Meanwhile, according to Pakistani media,  Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan,  Mansoor Ahmed Khan has arrived in Islamabad after Kabul called recalling its ambassador and senior diplomats, citing security concerns.</p>