Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: In the midst of political convulsions among the Afghan elites over disputed election results, the US President’s aide Zalmay Khalilzad on Sunday held separate meetings with leaders of two major political parties to discuss peace, election and other issues related to Afghanistan.
Khalilzad who spearheads the United States peace mission in Afghanistan met with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar of Hezb-e-Islami and Salahuddin Rabbani of Jamiat-e-Islami.
“While thanking him (Khalilzad) for his peace efforts, I and members of Jamiat leadership council shared our concerns over the growing discontent in the country as a result of the hasty and imprudent declaration of election results culminating in a political crisis,” Rabbani tweeted.
Khalilzad’s meetings with Afghan politicians comes two days after a partial truce to reduce violence began in Afghanistan on Friday night – a move negotiated between the US and Taliban during marathon talks in Qatar to pave the way for signing a peace agreement between Washington and Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war and reconcile the rebel group with the Kabul government.
This recent effort of President Trump’s aide could also be construed as an attempt at intercession to palliate an ever-galloping electoral shellacking that has been rumbling on, with the presidential runner, the incumbent chief executive Abdullah opposing final outcome of long drawn-out 2019 September presidential vote.
