Lasting ceasefire in Afghanistan only after govt implements 'Islamic' system: Taliban

Doha [Qatar], September 12 : A lasting ceasefire in Afghanistan will be reached once the government system in the country becomes 'Islamic', Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, said on the sidelines of the ongoing peace talks in Doha on Saturday.
"The Islamic Emirate wants the system of government to become Islamic. When this is done, a ceasefire will be reached on that day," Sputnik quoted Shaheen as saying.
During their rule in Afghanistan in the 90s, the Taliban had established an Islamic system, which focuses on the implementation of Shariah.
The Taliban have been condemned internationally for the harsh enforcement of their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which has resulted in the brutal treatment of many Afghans, especially women.
The much-anticipated peace talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban have opened in Qatar's capital Doha to end the two decades of war that has killed ten of thousands.
Abdullah Abdullah, the chairperson of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said peace can be reached when all sides respect the opinions of each other, adding that it was the time to end the 40-year conflict.
"Welcome to all of you who have come together for Afghan peace. I am speaking here on behalf or as a representative of the President of Afghanistan [Ashraf Ghani]. I thank the Taliban for agreeing to the talks to the Afghan government. Today is the day to discuss ending the war, ending the pain of Afghans. We have come together to end the 40-years war to end political violence with the Taliban," Abdullah told reporters before the start of negotiations.
Topics on the agenda during the talks include a permanent ceasefire, Afghanistan's future political system and a range of social issues.
The negotiations, where the two warring sides will sit face-to-face for the first time, will start on Monday.
The Afghan government's 21-member negotiating team was led by Masoom Stanekzai, a former intelligence chief. On the other hand, the Taliban was led by Mawlavi Abdul Hakim, the terror group's chief justice and a close aide of the group's chief Haibatullah Akhunzada, Al Jazeera reported.
Peace negotiations were expected to take place in March but were delayed repeatedly due to a prisoner exchange agreement made as part of the deal signed between the United States and Taliban in February.
According to the agreement, the Afghan government said it will release 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the Taliban agreed to release 1,000 Afghan troops.