Ghani invites Taliban to run in polls again

Afghanistan's president has invited the Taliban to take part in the upcoming parliamentary election in October. The unusual offer comes as the militant group continues to seize swathes of land in the war-torn country.

The Afghan government made “a clear and comprehensive suggestion about peace” to the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani declared on Saturday as he spoke at a voter registration launch ceremony. “The upcoming election is a great opportunity” for those “who think they have roots in this country,” he said.

The Taliban now “can appear as a political party and participate in this process,” Ghani says. He added that Afghans are “tired of the bloodshed,” and urged the militant group “to be serious about elections.”

President Ghani already offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group in late February.

However, Mohammed Akram Khpalwak, chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council – an agency in charge of negotiating with the Taliban – claimed on Saturday the group is considering the proposal.

The October 20 polls were originally set to be held in 2015 following presidential elections the previous year, but were repeatedly pushed back due to security fears and logistical problems within the fragile unity government.