Afghanistan’s government signed a draft peace deal on Thursday with a designated “global terrorist” after lengthy negotiations that could pave the way for a similar accord with the Taliban, who have been waging war on Kabul for 15 years.
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To be formalised, the agreement must be signed by president Ashraf Ghani and Gulbuddin Hekamtyar, although no timetable has been announced.
Now in his sixties, he is the latest among a series of controversial figures that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into Afghan politics in the post-Taliban era.
A Hezb-i-Islami delegation shook hands with members of the High Peace Council (HPC), responsible for reconciliation efforts with fighters, and the national security adviser at an official ceremony in Kabul.
He is best known, however, for causing the deaths of possibly thousands of people during the 1990s civil war, when his forces rained rockets on Kabul in his fight with other warlords for control of the capital.
The agreement was signed today after nearly six months of continued negotiations between the Afghan High Peace Council and the delegation of Hezb-e-Islami.
Neither Hekmatyar nor Ghani were present at the signing.
The U.S. had welcomed the peace agreement with Hekmatyar in May, but State Department officials said they sought certain “end conditions”, including that the group agree to lay down its weapons, end ties with worldwide terrorist groups and accept Afghanistan’s constitution, which includes protections for women and minorities.
Widely lambasted as the “butcher of Kabul”, he is believed to be living in hiding in Pakistan, though his group claims he is inside Afghanistan.
The potential deal has sparked revulsion from human rights groups.
The deal paves the way for him to make a comeback in mainstream politics in a pattern well established by other warlords, such as General Abdul Rashid Dostum, now the country´s first vice president.
Hekmatyar’s return “will compound the culture of impunity”, said Human Rights Watch researcher Patricia Gossman, who called it an “affront” to victims of abuses.
The agreement will grant Hekmatyar amnesty for past offences and the release of certain Hezb-i-Islami prisoners.
The Afghan government will now likely work towards lifting his United States and UN blacklisting in order to reintegrate him into local politics.
Compared to other militant groups like the Taliban or Islamic State, however, Hezb-i-Islami has played a relatively small role in the insurgency recently and analysts say the accord is mostly symbolic.
The pact is aimed at “durable peace, security and urgent end to the war in Afghanistan that guarantees development of the country”, according to a draft of the agreement seen by Stars and Stripes.
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The Taliban, who were toppled from power in 2001, have refused to engage in talks with the Western-backed Afghan government as they ramp up their nationwide offensive against it. This news story is related to Latest/151800-Afghanistan-inks-peace-deal-with-Hekmatyar/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
