KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai taking a swipe at neighboring
Pakistan, said it was clear the Taliban leadership was not independent
enough to make its own decisions about how it conducted the war, and
suggested talks with Islamabad instead.
Afghan President Hamid
Karzai, long a staunch advocate of peace talks with the Taliban, on
Wednesday questioned whether the insurgent group was able to seek a
political settlement and blamed Pakistan for fomenting instability.
"During
our three-year efforts for peace, the Taliban has martyred our
religious ulema (leaders), tribal elders, women, children, old and
young," Karzai was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his
office.
"By killing Rabbani, they showed they are not able to
take decisions. Now, the question is (should we seek) peace with who,
with which people?"
The meeting included tribal elders,
legislative chairmen, cabinet ministers, former mujahideen commanders
and his two vice-presidents, the statement added.
The death of
Rabbani, the most prominent surviving leader of the ethnic
Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance of fighters and politicians, had
raised concerns that his assassination would not only scuttle the peace
process but exacerbate ethnic rifts among Afghans fighting the Taliban.
Rabbani was chairman of the High Peace Council, formed by Karzai in October last year to reach out to the Taliban.
Although
the Council was considered more an official endorsement of negotiations
than a real body for discussions, contacts continued through other
channels, often involving foreign countries with a stake in Afghanistan
s future. Online
