Announcement on Afghanistan govt soon: Taliban | Economic Times

Amid Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Kabul visit Taliban has announced that talks on the formation of a new government with Afghan political leaders are underway and that a new government will be announced in the near future. “Our political officials met with leaders here in Kabul, their views are important, discussions are moving, there is hope for an announcement on the government soon,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban.Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the participants of an emergency session of the CSTO have expressed concern over the events in Afghanistan and potential threats from this country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. Collective Security Treaty Organisation or CSTO is an Eurasian military alliance comprising Russia, Kazakhstan. Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Afghanistan is an observer to CSTO. These countries are worried over spillover impact of extremism & narco trade from Afghanistan into this region. Members of the Taliban's political office over the weekend met a number of politicians in Kabul including former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), and discussions focused on the overall political situation including the formation of an inclusive government. The members of the Taliban’s political office who arrived in Kabul on Saturday include Shahabuddin Delawar, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhaw and Abdul Rahmand Fida.Abdullah Abdullah in a Facebook post confirmed the meeting with the Taliban leaders, saying that discussions were focused on the political process and the formation of an inclusive government.Some Afghan political leaders, however, criticized the way the talks are taking place, saying that the political process should be inclusive.“I don’t see this game as a good one because it looks like a game of individuals, everyone tries to promote himself and does not show respect for the Afghans,” local Afghan media reported quoting Sayed Eshaq Gailani, the head of the Nahzat-e-Hambastagi Afghanistan party.Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh, said that the next government will not be acceptable if it is not inclusive.“The war has not ended, we have a long way to go, we will test them (the Taliban), we will emerge again ... either to resolve it through an inclusive government or war,” said Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh.India and Russia have emphasised on the necessity for inclusive government in Kabul. Amid this New Delhi and Moscow on Monday held high level discussions in Russia to expand joint defence production.