Abdullah Abdullah meets Modi, seeks India's support for peace process in Afghanistan

(Karachi) Afghanistan's top peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the ongoing peace initiative to bring back stability in Afghanistan.

Ina tweet on Thursday, Abdullah Abdullah said that PM Modi assured him of India's continued support for the peace process in Afghanistan.

HE PM assured me of India’s continued support for the peace process, & Afghanistan. I thanked him & the people of India for the invitation, & generous hospitality. I also thanked India for its principled position on the #AfghanPeaceProcess. 2/2

— Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) October 8, 2020

The peace negotiator maintained, "HE PM assured me of India’s continued support for the peace process, & Afghanistan. I thanked him & the people of India for the invitation, & generous hospitality. I also thanked India for its principled position on the #AfghanPeaceProcess."

Abdullah Abdullah is on a five-day visit to India as part of the efforts to build a regional consensus and support for the Afghan peace process. On October 7, he also held detailed talks on the matter with India's Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Abdullah's visit comes in wake of ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government in Doha. Pakistan played a pivotal role in bringing the peace process forward and its efforts were acknowledged at international forums.

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.

Later, the Afghan government released the remaining Taliban prisoners, kicking of intra-Afghan peace talks.