Afghan High Peace Council chief appointed

The head of the government-backed peace body, the High Peace Council (HPC), has been appointed in Afghanistan, a senior official said on Monday.

"Pir Sayed Ahmad Gilani has been appointed as the chief of High Peace Council," Xinhua quoted adviser on international relations of HPC, Mohammad Ismael Qasimyar as saying.

The Presidential Palace would soon formally announce the appointment of Gilani as chief of the peace body, he said.

A former religious figure and moderate Jihadi leader, Gilani has resisted the erstwhile Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan in 1980s and Taliban onslaught in 1990s to overrun Afghanistan.

Since promotion of HPC's previous boss Salahuddin Rabbani to the rank of foreign minister in February 2015, the peace body has been operating without chief.

The High Peace Council, established in mid 2010 to provide a platform for peace talks with Taliban and ensuring national reconciliation in the country, but the objective has yet to be materialised.