Afghanistan formally asks Sami to push for resumption of Taliban peace talks

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Afghanistan has formally sought the help of Maulana Samiul Haq to urge the Taliban to resume the Pakistan-brokered peace talks, which had been halted after the announced death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar.

Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Pakistan Janan Mosazai, along with a delegation met Sami, who is the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and held a six-hour long meeting with him in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the meeting, the Afghan envoy also conveyed President Ashraf Ghani’s message to Sami, requesting him to play his role in resumption of the suspended talks with Afghan Taliban.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mosazai said Samiul Haq enjoys great support in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and confirmed that he had requested the elderly cleric to play his role for peace in the region.

The cleric, who runs the famous Darul Uloom Haqqania and is also known as ‘Father of the Taliban’, appreciated Mosazai’s struggle for restoration of peace in Afghanistan and agreed to play his role in the matter.

On Aug 6, Maulana Samiul Haq, an influential figure among members of the Taliban on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border, himself had urged the newly declared head of the group, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, to sit down with rivals who have challenged his right to leadership.