“The Political Agreement between President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has just been signed,” said Sediq Sediqqi, Ghani’s spokesman, on Twitter. Abdullah would lead the council for peace talks with the insurgent Taliban and his team members would be included in cabinet, Sediqqi added. Afghanistan is facing growing fiscal pressures, with tax revenues falling and foreign aid pledges due this year expected to shrink. Officials say a deal between the Ghani and Abdullah is crucial to launching peace talks, as Abdullah’s camp represents much of the country’s north-west. The Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, but the government has remained sceptical and angry at ongoing Taliban attacks against the Afghan military, fraying the momentum for peace talks, which were due to start in March.

Source: bd News24 May 17, 2020 11:03 UTC