New Delhi: The Afghanistan government is ready to hold early presidential elections if the Taliban accepts that elections are the only legitimate method for transfer of power, Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar said on Tuesday.
While the Afghan government has always insisted on the electoral transfer of power, this is the first time that a senior Afghan leader was explicit in offering to hold early presidential elections.
The Afghan government’s offer is in response to proposals made by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, in a letter addressed to President Ashraf Ghani and other senior leaders. The letter was handed over by the US special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad.
At an interaction with journalists at the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), Atmar said that the “Afghan political leadership was reviewing the ideas”. He asserted that it was “not a US proposal”, but just “proposals to stimulate thinking”.
Blinken’s letter had proposed that an interim set-up, which includes the Taliban, should replace the current government. The senior Biden administration member had also suggested that a national dialogue should be held among the Afghan government and Taliban in Turkey and a separate regional conference of six countries, including India. President Ghani has publicly opposed the proposal, which would require him to step down.
The counter-proposal, according to Atmar, was a “brave offer”, as Ghani had offered not to complete his entire term.
“He (Ghani) said that if the Taliban accepts a political settlement… if they commit to the political settlement and they agree to elections as a legitimate means of transfer of power and responsibility, then he is ready to hold early presidential elections,” said Atmar.
He didn’t state it explicitly, but the Afghan government’s proposals were discussed during the three-day visit to India, which ended on Wednesday.
Also read: The US’s Latest Plan for Afghanistan and Why India Is Counting on Afghan Leaders
A read-out from the Ministry of External Affairs on the visit stated that Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar assured Atmar of “India’s long-term commitment towards a peaceful, sovereign, stable and inclusive Afghanistan where the rights of all sections of the society are protected within a democratic constitutional framework”.
India has not publicly reacted to the US proposals so far. But New Delhi has never been keen on a formula that includes an interim government with the Taliban.
Atmar argued that any other way to bring in the Taliban without a guarantee on elections would violate the constitution. “Taliban and others may want to violate the constitution, but that would not bring lasting peace. Because it is our firm belief that a just and lasting peace can only be built on a legitimate foundation, and that is the constitution of Afghanistan.”
He didn’t give a timeframe on the early elections but made it clear that it would mean that Ghani will not wait till the end of his term. “He will also make sure that the elections are administered and monitored by the international community, and this is transparent and free and fair in every aspect. That we see as the only legitimate way forward for political inclusion and for transfer of power.”
On Tuesday, Reuters reported from Kabul, citing anonymous senior government officials, that Ghani will make a proposal to hold elections within six months and unveil them at next month’s Turkey conference.
As per informed sources, Afghanistan has already laid down these proposals to the Americans during the recent Moscow meeting. The recommendations also indicate that Ghani would be the head of the interim set-up till the early elections are held. However, there has been no public response from the US side yet.