In search of elusive peace: Afghan govt, Hizb struggle to salvage peace deal

Hekmatyar sends senior aide to Kabul to iron out differences

ISLAMABAD: Kabul and the Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) are trying to salvage their peace deal which has hit a deadlock, two Hizb leaders said on Sunday.

The HIA has sent the deputy chief of the group’s political committee, Haji Abdul Malik, to Kabul to discuss ways to narrow down differences and save the deal that had previously been finalised for a formal signing, an HIA leader told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity. “Malik will try to convince the Afghan leaders to resolve differences as both [sides] are very close to signing the agreement,” he said.

The two sides started negotiations in March when HIA presented a list of 25 demands.



Differences have persisted between Kabul and HIA primarily over a timeframe for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, HIA’s demands for changes in the incumbent political setup and in the election commission to accommodate its leaders and representatives, an HIA leader said.



HIA chief Gulbudin Hekmatyar has proposed that he and President Ashraf Ghani “jointly take a final decision on a timeframe for the withdrawal of foreign forces,” he said.

HIA has also rejected Kabul’s suggestion to accept the security pacts that Ghani signed with the US and Nato in September 2014 allowing foreign troops to remain in the country. “Hizb-e-Islami will never accept the presence of foreign troops and the [group’s] leaders want amendments in it,” the HIA leader said.

Earlier this month, Hekmatyar had sent his son Habibur Rehman to Kabul with the new proposals, two HIA leaders said.  With response to those proposals still awaited, Hekmatyar has sent Malik to help narrow down the differences between the two sides.

Curiously, HIA’s top negotiator, Amin Karim, has rejected reports of differences but has admitted that Hekmatyar has some reservations and queries about parts of the agreement.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2016.