Afghanistan rejects reports on 'contacts’ with Taliban

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

The Afghan government on Wednesday rejected media reports saying the country's intelligence services had regular contacts with the Taliban leaders about the country's constitution and political future.

A day earlier, the Associated Press claimed to have seen documents describing the conversations between the Afghan officials -- namely intelligence chief Mohammad Masoum Stanikzai as well as National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar -- and the Taliban leadership in both Pakistan and the Gulf state of Qatar, where they have an office.

Rejecting this report as "baseless", the National Security Council said in a statement that all efforts for a peaceful settlement of the conflict are executed by the High Peace Council (HPC).

"Peace is one of the prime targets of the National Unity Government (NUG) and a legitimate demand of the people of Afghanistan, and the NUG welcomes all efforts towards realizing this demand," it read.

Mohammad Hanif Atmar is a close aide to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, and he played role in striking a landmark peace deal with the former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in September 2016.

The report quoted an Afghan security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, saying the Taliban wanted certain amendments to the -- although not immediately.

Taliban have also reportedly called for setting up special courts to oversee thousands of cases over land that was allegedly taken illegally in the post-Taliban era.

Many of the landowners are reportedly former warlords who are now in the government. The Taliban say they want the land returned to those from whom it was taken.

Among other reported demands of the Taliban include the establishment of an interim government before elections, all sides keeping areas currently under their control until voting is held as well as guarantees that women would not be allowed to head the country.