Afghan Parliament’s first deputy speaker Abdul Zahir Qadir on Sunday alleged that Taliban comrades released from prisons under auspices of High Peace Council (HPC) revert back to insurgency and militancy.
The HPC was commissioned under an umbrella of the karzai regime and the ISAF forces deployed in Afghanistan to chalk out a non violent strategy for the 2014 troop’s withdrawal. However, Qadir said that “the peace process is a failed process. Where do the Taliban who are released go? They start insurgent activities again.”
Qadir ‘s stance is supported by many a members of the Afghan parliament. They all allege that the peace process was begetting instability in Afghanistan.
HPC officials refuted the deputy speaker’s remarks and said that most of those released led “normal lives”, adding that those who relapsed to insurgency do not dent the Afghan security apparatus. Shahzada Shahid, an HPC official commenting on Qadir’s remarks said that “most of the released Taliban members start normal lives, but a few of them defect back to the Taliban camp , which neither negatively effects the peace process nor does it worsen the security situation.” The Defense ministry also challenged the credibility of Qadir,s remarks and defense ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said that “freeing Taliban is lawful and it is only done when there is insufficient evidence to keep them in prison.”
Meanwhile, four men died and 15 others were wounded in a twin suicide attack that targeted a meeting of tribal elders in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. Per details the attackers arrived at the compound that houses offices of the district chief and the district council, killed a guard, entered the facility and blew themselves up.
Moreover, a number of Taliban commanders released in the past are known to have defected back to the Taliban camp.. Mawlawi Abdul Qayoum, released by presidential decree, is back with the insurgents. Similarly Mawlawi Dastgir, released at the behest of Badghis tribal elders, masterminded a bomb attack that claimed lives of 100 people. He was killed in a US air strike
