Taliban fighters (file photo)
The Independent (UK): A large number of Pashtun politicians, tribal chiefs and intellectuals are against the Taliban, which is one of its biggest weaknesses… The central, conservative ideology of the Taliban is also responsible for its failure, as it is unacceptable for most Afghans, particularly the literate population…The media has played a key role in highlighting the cruelties of the Taliban on ordinary Afghans. Click here to read more (external link).
US Marine (file photo)
Manoj Kumar Mishra via Asia Times: From a geopolitical perspective, Afghanistan provides the US with a venue for quick access to gather intelligence as well as develop military strategies against geographically adjacent state actors such as Iran, China and Russia, and limit the ambitions of non-state actors such as the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani Network and ISIS. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ashraf Ghani
1TV: “Do you want Pakistan or other neighbouring countries represent you, or you represent yourselves as Afghans? If you want Pakistan to represent you, we will talk with Pakistan,” Ghani said after registering to seek second term in upcoming election expected in July. The comments come after Taliban’s repeated rejection of negotiating with the Afghan government, but have held talks with other countries. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
January 20, 2019
ISLAMABAD — The process of submitting nomination papers for the upcoming presidential vote in Afghanistan concluded Sunday, with President Ashraf Ghani and his ruling coalition partner Abdullah Abdullah among the candidates seeking the country’s top office.
Ghani and Abdullah, who was appointed chief executive in a deal mediated by the United States after the disputed 2014 election, filed their nomination papers just hours before the Independent Election Commission (IEC) closed the proceedings.
The election activity comes as an early morning suicide car bombing of a government convoy in eastern Afghan province of Logar killed at least eight security forces, underscoring serious security challenges facing the country in the wake of a raging Taliban insurgency.
The presidential vote, scheduled for July 20, is also under scrutiny because of the lack of serious reforms to prevent a repetition of previous fraud-marred Afghan elections.
IEC officials, however, dismiss concerns and insist their rescheduling of the polls from the original April 20 date has given them enough time to fix the problems and to lay the ground for a better organized vote.
“Our [candidates’] goal should be to work toward ensuring this election process results in a strong government and nation. Whatever consensus regarding any reforms is required must be achieved now to remove any doubts about the election outcome,” Ghani said in televised comments after formally registering his candidacy with IEC.
The IEC was heavily criticized for failing to prevent mismanagement and alleged rigging in the October parliamentary election. The final results are still awaited, fueling traditional mistrust and suspicions among voters about the upcoming election.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former ethnic Pashtun warlord accused of war crimes and once listed as terrorist by the U.S., has also joined the presidential race.
Hekmatyar stopped his Hizb-i-Islami group from waging insurgent attacks against foreign forces and returned to Kabul from years of hiding in 2016 after signing a U.S.-backed peace deal with President Ghani’s government.
Hekmatyar’s fighters have been blamed for committing atrocities during the Afghan civil war that enabled the Taliban to capture most of Afghanistan in 1996.
Several former officials of the Ghani-led National Unity government are also among the contestants. They include Hanif Atmar, former national security adviser; Rahmatullah Nabil, ex-chief of the Afghan intelligence agency; Zalmai Rassoul, a former foreign minister who came third in the last presidential election; and Shaida Abdali, a former diplomat.
Peace talks with Taliban
The United States, meanwhile, has intensified efforts to seek a politically negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old conflict with the Taliban, which control nearly half of the country and maintain battlefield pressure on U.S.-backed Afghan forces to capture more territory.
Chief American peace negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad, and his team spent several days in neighboring Pakistan, where authorities tried to arrange the next round of U.S.-Taliban talks.
A U.S. Embassy statement announced Sunday said Khalilzad visited Islamabad from January 17-20 where he met with Pakistani civilian and military leaders. It said that “both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advance the Afghan peace process.”
Khalilzad highlighted that all countries in the region will benefit from peace in Afghanistan, the statement concluded, though it was not clear whether Pakistani efforts to bring the two sides to the negotiating table succeeded.
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Other Election News
Tolo News: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Hizb-e-Islami leader, who entered a peace deal with the Afghan government in 2016 and returned home after almost 20 years, entered the race for 2019 presidential elections on Saturday. Fazl Hadi Wazeen, an Islamic studies researcher and a university lecturer, is Hekmatyar’s running mate for first Vice President. Qazi Hafizurrahman Naqi, Hekmatyar’s running mate for second Vice President is an Islamic studies graduate and has worked in the Supreme Court. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khalilzad
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 19, 2019
The Taliban has denied reports that it is prepared to resume talks with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on ending Afghanistan’s 17-year war.
Pakistani media had reported that a meeting in Islamabad was possible following talks in the Pakistani capital between Khalilzad and senior Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, on January 18.
However, the Taliban ruled it out on January 19.
“We wanted to make it clear that we will not hold any meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.
Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad on January 17 and met Imran Khan as well as the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi and other officials.
Khalilzad was named by the Trump administration four months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace.
The Afghan-born Khalilzad is a veteran U.S. diplomat. He served as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations.
Based on reporting by Reuters
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Tolo News: Two skiers from Bamiyan skiing clubs won the two-day skiing competitions as part of a winter tournament in the province. At least 70 skiers from Bamiyan and Maidan Wardak provinces had participated in the competition. Click here to read more (external link).
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