Peace talks between Afghan officials, Taliban to begin in September, says Abdullah Abdullah

(Karachi) Afghan Government's High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah has said that peace talks between Afghan officials and Taliban will commence in September.

The intra-Afghan peace process has entered a crucial stage that aims to end about two decades of war in Afghanistan.

Comments from Afghanistan's top peace negotiator comes a day after he held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Imran Khan about the Afghan conflict.

Earlier, PM Imran told Abdullah Abdullah that Pakistan is committed to further deepen ties with Afghanistan and enhance cooperation in all fields.

He emphasized the importance of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and highlighted Pakistan's positive contribution to the Afghan peace process. Imran stressed that the Afghan leaders must seize this historic opportunity to achieve an inclusive political settlement contributing to durable peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan.

The premier also invited Dr Abdullah Abdullah to visit Pakistan to share perspective on advancing the Afghan peace process and forging closer ties between the two countries. Abdullah Abdullah said that he will visit Pakistan after launch of intra-Afghan talks.

In February, a deal was reached between the United States and the Taliban in which it was agreed that 5,000 Taliban prisoners will be released from Afghan prisons before peace talks between the militant group and the government. The government has so far released 4,600 prisoners.

The Loya Jirga, which was attended by more than 3,000 elders, community leaders and politicians, stated that intra-Afghan peace talks should begin immediately. It said that foreign prisoners, if any, should be handed over to their respective nations after receiving credible guarantees from their governments.

The jirga also decided that the freed prisoners should not return to the battlefield while permanent ceasefire should be imposed.

On August 10, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree to release the final batch of prisoners demanded by the Taliban as a condition to move to peace talks.

The Taliban had said that once the prisoners are released they would start peace talks within a week after months of delays since the United States signed a troop withdrawal deal in February.