Pakistan hails peace deal between Afghan Govt. and Hezb-i-Islami

A peace agreement signed between the Afghan Government and the Hezb-i-Islami militant group has been welcomed by Pakistan, the country's Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday.

FO spokesperson, while addressing a weekly briefing in Islamabad, reiterated that Pakistan desires peace in Afghanistan, reports the Dawn.

Last month, Afghanistan had signed a peace agreement with notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who heads the now largely dormant Hezb-i-Islami, paving way for him to make a political comeback despite a history of war crimes and after years of hiding.

The deal with Afghanistan's second-biggest militant group has marked a symbolic victory for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has struggled to revive peace talks with the Taliban.

 

Hekmatyar, widely known as the "butcher of Kabul", was a prominent anti-Soviet commander in the 1980s who stands accused of killing thousands of people in the Afghan capital during the 1992-1996 civil war.