KANDAHAR: The Afghan Taliban have named a new head for their political office in Qatar, with a militant source telling AFP on Monday he is a supporter of peace talks with Kabul.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai and his deputy Abdul Salam Hanafi were appointed by their leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, a member of the Quetta Shura ruling council told AFP Monday.
Stanekzai is a senior Taliban leader who served as Afghanistan's deputy health minister during 1996-2001.
“They are in favour of peace talks, and were selected to reach to an understanding with the Afghan government and the international community,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Qatar office was established in 2013 to facilitate such talks.
Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani has made negotiations a priority since taking office last year.
The US, which recently announced it would delay withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the face of a resurgent Taliban, is among the countries calling for a return to the negotiating table.
Earlier in July, the leadership of the Afghan Taliban had disassociated itself from a process Pakistan had been facilitating to encourage the group’s dialogue with the government of Afghanistan for peace and reconciliation.
Pakistan’s role in facilitating the reconciliation process has always been considered as crucial. But Pakistani officials have all along been cautioning about the limits of their influence on the Taliban.
Afghanistan in August had sought the help of Maulana Samiul Haq to urge the Taliban to resume the Pakistan-brokered peace talks, which had been halted after the announced death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar.
Pakistan had hosted a meeting between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban representatives in Murree on July 7, 2015, which was also attended by representatives from China and the United States.
The second round of the talks, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan on July 31, 2015, was postponed after reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar and the ensuing leadership crisis among the Taliban.
