Saturday, August 13, 2011 – Amrullah Saleh, former Chief of National Directorate of Security on Friday said, the growing tensions between the parliament and the palace have encouraged the Taliban not to prefer peace talks with the Afghan government.
While speaking among dozens of protesting MPs in Kabul on Friday, Mr. Saleh said the Taliban have realised the weaknesses of the Karzai-led government, therefore they are not interested in peace talks.
He said, “The enemies have reached gates of Kabul. They have a clear agenda. They would not come to the negotiating table as they have realised the seriousness of problems within the branches of the government.”
Mr. Saleh further added, “Why should the Taliban talk to such a weak team.”
Mr. Saleh warned, the government is verge of collapse.
He has previously served as the head of National Directorate of Security (NDS) for nearly six years.
He resigned from his position after failing to safeguard Karzai-initiated peace Jirga last year, and has been critical of President Karzai’s strategy for peace talks with the Taliban since then.
This comes as dozens of MPs who gathered in front of the parliament building on Friday, warned Karzai that they would expand their rally to the gates of the presidential palace unless the president avoids unseating MPs.
Meanwhile, President Karzai on Wednesday issued a decree authorizing the country’s election body, the Independent Election Commission (IEC), to seek an endgame for the parliamentary election’s stalemate.
Tensions between Afghan parliament and the government escalated after a special electoral tribunal had announced unseating of 62 MPs to replace them with 62 others last month — a move which faced fierce resistance by the lower house of the parliament.
