Political office for Qatar, Afghan
Taliban has named a new head
KANDAHAR:
The Afghan Taliban named a new head for their Qatar's political office. According to a militant source telling AFP on Monday he is a supporter of peace talks with Kabul.Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai and his deputy Abdul Salam Hanafi were appointed by their leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor. On Monday a member of the Quetta Shura ruling council told AFP Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is a senior leader of Taliban who served as Afghanistan's deputy health minister during 1996 to 2001.
They are in favour of peace talks and were selected to reach to and understanding with the Afghan government and the international community. The source told FAP on the condition of anonymity. The Qatar office was established in 2013 to facilitate such talks.
Ashraf Ghani President of Afghanistan has made negotiations a priority since taking office last year.
The US, which recently announced it would delay withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the face of a resurgent Taliban, is among the countries calling for a return to the negotiation table.
Earlier in July, the leadership of Afghan Taliban had disassociated itself from a process Pakistan had been facilitating to encourage the group's with the government of Afghanistan for peace an reconciliation.
Pakistan's role is in facilitating the reconciliation process has always been considered as crucial but Pakistani officials have all along been cautioning about the limits of their influence on the Taliban.
In August Afghanistan had sought the help of Maulana Samiul Haq to urge the Taliban to resume the Pakistan- broke peace talks, which had been helded after the announced death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar.
Pakistan had hosted a meeting between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban representatives in Murree on 7th July 2015, which was also attended by representatives from China and the United states.
The second round of the talks, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan on July 31- 2015 was postponed after reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar and the ensuing leadership crisis among the Taliban.
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