Ghani endorses peace talks with Pak before Taliban

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called for holding peace talks with Pakistan first before holding a similar dialogue with the Taliban.

This came a day after the Afghan President's letter calling for the arrest of Taliban militants was leaked.

Speaking in Kandahar, Ghani stressed that it was crucial to open peace talks with Pakistan in order to encourage the Taliban to come to the negotiation table and remarked that reconciliation does not take place with a brother but with those who fight with you, reports The Express Tribune.

He called on the tribal elders and religious leaders in Kandahar to initiate a door-to-door campaign and also visit the mosques to rally support for the peace process.

The Taliban refused to hold peace talks with Afghanistan after Ghani signed an agreement with the United States and Nato, allowing nearly 12,000 western troops to remain in the country for an extended time.

The security pact, which was rejected by former president Hamid Karzai, was signed by Ghani hours after he assumed the office in late September.