Taliban seeks 'Political Solution' to end Afghan war

A senior Taliban leader has recently revealed that the Afghan Taliban group is considering a ‘political solution’ in a bid to end a decade-long conflict in the country. Mullah Agha Jan Mutasim, former head of the Taliban Political Commission and a close confidant of the militia’s elusive leader Mullah Omar quoted by The Express Tribune said, “We must launch a political movement to achieve the goals for which we have made so many sacrifices.” He said, “The Taliban leaders whose names have been removed from the UN black list will play an important role in the political process,. vital part of the Taliban.” According to The Express Tribune, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan’s influential politico-religious leader also met with the representatives in the Qatari capital of Doha in an effort to broker peace talks between the ultraorthodox militia and the Hamid Karzai administration. However the two sides have officially denied such talks with the Taliban group spokesman emphasizing that Taliban will not hold talks with the president Hamid Karzai adminitration calling the current government a puppet and that the real power-wielder is the United States. Mullah Mutasim is currently residing in Turkey after escaping assassination attempt in Karachi back in 2010. Former Taliban minister, Mullah Mutasim also expressed concerns about possible civil war in the post-2014 Afghanistan. He said, “This concern deepens when one considers possible interventions (in Afghanistan) by greedy neighbours and other regional powers.