16/04/2020
Prisoners Exchanged are Welcomed, Used as last Chance to be ’Stay in Power’ Analysts
By Aziza Mastoor
April 16, 2020
“I’m grateful to President Ghani and particularly his order: ‘I would be freed today’,” said a Taliban captive 72, who has spent years in Bagram prison, left only 22 months to be freed, shortly, he was standing up in front of the Bagram prison, outskirts of Kabul Afghanistan.
“I’m committed, if I get a chance, to serve in the rank of Afghan National Army of Afghanistan.”
Since the U.S.-Taliban conditional peace deal was inked on February 29, in Qatar-- a swap of captives from both sides as a term to be accomplished on time to pave a way for the beginning of Antra-Afghan talks and end the 20 years-old war in Afghanistan.
The frequent and most delays in the process, shown as the last visit by the Taliban delegations in Kabul that process was ’Fruitless’ while the Afghan government has not committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban captives.
Meanwhile, some affairs experts believe that Kabul uses prisoners as the last chance ‘to stay in power’. The latest move that the Taliban have unleashed 20 Afghan government’s security personnel including police on Thursday in Eastern Laghman provinces -- is appreciated as goodwill by remarkable partner countries.
A Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen as recently said in a Tweet:”...giving each of them clothes and 5,000 afghanis as fare expenditure.” So far, the US and EU have welcomed the breakthrough.
”Welcome the release of prisoners by both the Afghan government and the Taliban. The release of prisoners is an important step in the peace process and the reduction of violence.” U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad said on his Twitter page.
The deal calls for the government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 government officials held by the Taliban. The fragility of the deal shows that anytime it could be broken -- as the Taliban said that targeting their militants at home, indicates the disobedience of contents of the deal’.
On Tuesday, Zalmay Khalilzad met with Pakistani’s military chief a day after discussing the lagging U.S.-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan with the chief negotiator for the militant movement. The Taliban delays their ‘Spring Offensive’ that seems the group still are committed for last peace so far.
Wahed Faqiri, current affairs analyst said that wide spreads of COVID-19 would be a huge risk to prisoners and if anything would happen that could smear the image of Ghani’s administration.
“Keeping them[prisoners] to take advantage, irrational but that’s dangerous,” Faqiri said.
The public health source of Afghanistan says over the last 24 hours at least 56 new cases have been detected, 30 have died and the ongoing number is elevated to 823 across the country.
In the face of staggering economic status and political stalemate, navel coronavirus would be another catastrophe for poor nations that extremely relies on foreign aid.
Another local source in Sorubi District of Kabul province said due to a pandemic nearly 37 people have died last Monday, the claim not verified for government sources yet.
