Ghani pledges to ‘conditionally’ extend ceasefire with Taliban by one year

President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday welcomed the Helmand peace convoy in Kabul who have arrived in the capital Kabul after crossing some 700kilometters on foot, calling an end to the nearly 17-year-old war in the country.

In the meeting with the president which was held outside the Presidential Palace, the peace activists run through a list of demands including the extension of ceasefire between the government and the Taliban, a venue for peace talks and a “joint system” that could preserve the interests of all citizens.

Head of the convoy Iqbal Khyber said that once peace and stability have been maintained in the country, foreign troops must withdraw from Afghanistan and that thereafter, the international community should support the country.

The activists also said that they will continue their move until their demands were addressed.

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Ghani extends duration of ceasefire with the Taliban group

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday announced the extension of the period of ceasefire with the Taliban group until an unspecified time.

In his televised speech to the nation, President Ghani said the decision has been taken in consideration with the available consensus on government level as well as the Taliban ranks and on international community level.

He said Afghans want peace and pointed towards the Eid prayers offered jointly by the Taliban and government personnel as a good example of the available consensus for peace.

President Ghani further added that the environment was completely changed during Eid prayers in the mosques across the country, including Logar, Kandahar, Faryab, Kunduz, Zabul, Maidan Shahr, Nangarhar, and Laghman, with the Ulemas focusing and emphasizing on the value, importance, and the need of peace from the perspective of Islam.

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CE Abdullah urges Gov’t advisors not to meddle in ministers’ affairs

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says the influence of government advisors shouldn’t tarnish the performances of ministers and weaken the institutions, urging the advisers not to meddle in affairs of the ministers.

Addressing the Council of Ministers meeting, Abdullah said the ministers receiving vote of confidence from the parliament, and that ministers’ performances should not be “tarnished”.

He said the ministers who have performed well should be praised.

The Chief Executive’s remarks come days after President Ashraf Ghani minister of energy and water Ali Ahmad Usmani from his position amid his rising tensions with the minister.

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Ghani: ‘May 2019 Will Be the End of My Presidency’

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says based on the constitution his term as president will end in 22nd May 2019, insisting that the upcoming parliamentary and Presidential elections will be held on time in the country.

Speaking in the fifth international symposium of Afghan women held on Monday in the Presidential Palace (ARG), Ghani said that May 2019 will be the end of his presidency and that thereafter, having a presidential election is a must.

“22nd May 2019 will be the end of my presidency and the constitution should be executed on me; therefore, we must have essential preparation for the election,” he said, “Those who sabotage the election [in fact] they sabotage stability [of the country].”

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Ghani: war ‘imposed’ on majority of Taliban

Afghan President Ghani says the majority of the Taliban are not in favor of the war in Afghanistan and that the ongoing conflict has been imposed on them.

Speaking at a ceremony on Saturday in Kabul to mark the 26th anniversary of Mujahidin- 8th of Saur, Ghani reiterated his call for peace.

“The presence of foreign forces [in Afghanistan] is for two reasons; their [the Taliban]’s war against the Islamic government of Afghanistan and second they [the Taliban] having ties with terrorists,” Ghani said.

Emphasizing on his “generous” peace proposal to the Taliban, Ghani said that every member of the Taliban is not in favor of fighting against the Afghan government and that a limited number of individuals have imposed the ongoing on majority of the Taliban.

He reiterated his call on the Taliban to accept the peace proposal if the Taliban count themselves as “Muslim and Afghan”.

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Political parties react to Ghani’s peace offer to Taliban

A number of political parties have reacted towards the remarks of President Ghani regarding peace talks with the Taliban at Kabul Process II conference.

Some of the political parties said recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group will not have an impact in the peace process, insisting that it will rise new issues.

“It is a mistake to officially recognize Taliban and their office as it will create more issues,” said Fazl Menallah Mumtaz, Spokesman of Hezb-e-Islami party. “The government should not let the Taliban political office in Qatar to be closed.”

Some parties, however, welcomed the government’s peace plan, saying it provides an opportunity for the Taliban to reach into a peaceful agreement.

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Ghana: all Afghan refugees should return to Afghanistan in next 2 years:

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani says all Afghan refugees should return back to Afghanistan particularly from Pakistan in next twenty four months.

Speaking during a gathering to mark the 29th year of the withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan, President Ghani said the government is committed to bring changes in its priorities in a bid to pave the way for the return of the refugees.

President Ghani further added that he wants all the refugees to return to the country in the next 24 months, insisting that the government does not want the issue of the refugees remain an excuse for the Pakistani authorities.

This comes as the foreign ministry of Pakistan in reaction to a drone strike on Haqqani terrorist network member said last month that “Pakistan has also been stressing the need of early repatriation of Afghan refugees as their presence in Pakistan helps Afghan terrorists to melt and morph among them.”

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Usurped public lands will be reclaimed, insists President Ghani

President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday said that the government will “legally” distribute lands to all its citizens, insisting that he will reclaim all usurped public lands from land-grabbers.

Speaking during inauguration ceremony of Institutional Development Programme for Land Administration held in the Presidential Palace (ARG) on Thursday, Ghani said public treasury belongs to the entire nation and it cannot be consumed for personal interests.

“Close to five million Afghans are living outside of the country, they should return and lands should be distributed to them, and will establish a land bank in regard,” he said.

The president added the government is committed to ensuring safety of public properties. He said lands in Afghanistan have worth millions of dollar, if well managed.

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President Ghani receives report regarding Mirza Olang massacre

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has received a final report regarding the brutal massacre of the civilians in northern Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan.

The Office of the President, ARG Palace, in a statement said the report was presented by the Attorney General Mohammad Farid Hamidi during a meeting of the Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces chaired by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

The statement further added that the report was reviewed during the meeting and necessary instructions were issued to the relevant authorities.

The Offie of the President did not disclose any further information regarding the report and the government’s future plans to deal with the incident.

This comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a report said late in August “The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released today the initial findings of its human rights fact-finding into the 3 to 5 August attack on Mirza Olang village in Sayyad district of Sari Pul province.”

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Ghani refuses to accept Jamiat’s conditions

The Jamiat-e-Islami party has submitted a list of conditions to accept the recent decision by President Ghani regarding the removal of Ata Mohammad Noor as the provincial governor of Balkh, but the Presidential Palace refuses to give a positive response.

“The government is still not ready to accept the conditions of Jamiat. The important part is that they accepted the removal of Atta Muhammad Noor,” said Hafiz Mansour, a member of Jamiat party.

The two main conditions of the Jamiat party are that the introduction of Balkh’s new governor should be based on the party’s agreement, two ministries and two embassies must be allocated to the party.

But the Jamiat party has not given any role to Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah in its conditions with the Presidential Palace.

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