According to the officials, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has rejected the peace plan proposed by the U.S. and as a counter-offer is considering holding elections within the next six months.
According to the reports, the USA had proposed a peace deal to end the fight between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had proposed that the Kabul government be replaced with an interim administration that will have representatives from both Taliban and the current Afghan government.
Ghani had voiced his opposition against the proposal. Now, he will be presenting this counter-proposal at the international moot in Istanbul scheduled for next month. He plans to announce an early presidential election if the Taliban gives a green signal to the idea of a ceasefire.
According to an Afghan government official, Ghani will never accept the demand to step aside without naming any successor of his own in the future government.
One of the senior officials of the Afghan government, on a request of anonymity, has claimed that this whole roadmap has already been shared with Khalilzad.
President Ashraf Ghani will attend the gathering provided Taliban leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada or Mullah Yaqub, son of late Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, is also in attendance.
According to the Kabul government, the peace plan of the US does not comply with the ground realities of Afghanistan. The country should remain a republic with democratic ideals preserved.
On the contrary, the Taliban have announced to re-establish the Islamic system of government headed by a unanimously selected leader by a committee of representatives. The Taliban regime was ended by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha made little progress in the past.
The Taliban have rejected the ceasefire idea and also declared that they have no intention of joining the interim government proposed by the U.S. under the proposed peace plan.
The U.S. administration is already reviewing the May 1, troop withdrawal deadline. The Taliban have warned the United States that they will be responsible for the consequences if the deadline is not met.
