Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday in an interview with international news agency AFP called President Ghani’s “7-Point Peace Plan” an unrealistic “wish list.”
Ghani’s team last month released a seven-point proposal outlining a way to end the war in Afghanistan.
“To be honest, nobody has taken that so-called seven-point plan as a plan… it’s rather a wish list,” Abdullah said in an interview with AFP.
AFP reports that Ghani’s proposal has been criticised for having unrealistic elements, such as a month-long ceasefire with the Taliban before peace talks begin.
“Nobody is taking it seriously — neither the people of Afghanistan, nor anybody,” he said.
In early September, US President Donald Trump ended year-long talks with the Taliban amid ongoing insurgent violence, but international efforts are currently underway to restart the talks.
Abdullah told AFP that it is imperative for any future talks to include negotiators from the Afghan government, whether they are led by him or Ghani.
Any negotiating team, in Abdullah’s view, must be inclusive. “Government has to be a part of that,” he said.
A spokesman for Ghani, Sediqq Sediqqi, responded to Abdullah’s comments: “Ghani’s 7-point plan has clear objectives towards achieving sustainable peace.”
“It derives from the national consensus and the result of consistent and relentless work of President Ghani in the past 5 years to end this senseless war,” Sediqqi said.
“This plan ensures suitable outcomes of the future steps in the process, and it enshrines principles of inclusivity, sustainability, and dignity. It builds upon the past efforts and takes steady steps towards stability with an aim to end the bloodshed as soon as possible,” he said.
“Ghani has made the peace a unifying factor among every Afghan. He believes in a peace process that will unify us not fragment us. His peace plan embodies these principles,” he added.
This comes as both men— rival candidates for the presidential election—await the delayed announcement of the election results by Afghanistan’s electoral institutions.
