At least 67 percent of people say Taliban prisoners should not be released before the launch of intra-Afghan talks, finds an online survey by Pajhwok Afghan News.
Thirty-three percent of respondents suggested the detained militants should be freed before peace negotiations begin among Afghan factions, including the government and the Taliban.
The prisoner release is part of a historic agreement the Taliban and the US signed on February 29 after over one and half years of talks in Qatar on ending the conflict.
In line with the deal, the Afghan government will free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 government detainees by March 10. The rest of prisoners will be released in three months.
But President Ashraf Ghani has opposed the release of Taliban prisoners, saying the process needed time and multilateral talks. On the other hand, the Taliban insist on implementation of the prisoner swap clause of the pact.
In a survey on Facebook, Pajhwok asked the Afghans for their views on the issue. Over the past 24 hours, 19,700 people participated in the survey.
Sixty-seven percent of the respondents said Taliban prisoners should not be released before the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations.
Nejad Sherzad responded: “No, never! The Afghan government has released 889 Taliban prisoners on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. But they returned to the battlefield suicide bombings.”
Shoib Baidar, wrote: “Release of 5,000 Taliban inmates by government will be an anguish against innocent Afghans, a trust should be built first and then both sides should exchange prisoners.”
Mirwais Ariayee wrote: “The US and Taliban had done secrete deals, so the inmates should not be released until the Afghans are informed about the secret deal.
But 33 percent of respondents say the Taliban prisoners should be released prior to negotiations among the Afghan factions.
Hayat Khaliqyar said: “The prisoners should be freed before the start of negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban. Both sides should work honestly to prevent foreign interference.”
Mohammad Yaqoob Sahar agreed: “The inmates should be freed; because the real problem was America, has failed. The Afghans should come together to build their homeland.”
Ehsanullah Sidiq posted: “The release of Taliban inmates is a demand of the confidence-building process. Now that the US and Taliban have signed a deal, the Afghans could easily reach a settlement.”
