Afghan Taliban unwilling to negotiate with Karzai govt, says Pak

Pakistan security adviser Sartaj Aziz has said that the Afghan Taliban militant group is unwilling to enter into negotiation with the Karzai government.

Aziz said that the Afghan Taliban have a principled stance that they do not recognize the government in Kabul and its constitution, the Express Tribune reports.

He further added that there is a need for increased informal contacts with the Afghan Taliban as most of their leaders are in Afghanistan and in Qatar, and the government could only approach them.

Pakistan has been long trying to facilitate talks between the Afghan High Peace Council and the militant group, but the outfit leaders have repeatedly denied of accepting the requests.

Aziz also affirmed that former Taliban chief strategist Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been held in Pakistan at a secretive place after he was released from jail on the request of the Afghan government, on the presumption that he could facilitate the peace process.