Quran Should Be Basis of Intra-Afghan Talks: Ashraf Ghani

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The Holy Quran and Islamic Sharia should be the basis for the ongoing Afghan peace negotiations in Doha, said Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday while speaking at a ceremony on Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) birthday.

He called on the Taliban to make the Holy Quran and Islamic sharia as the basis for the talks and exchange views with religious scholars of the country, reported TOLO News.

Ghani alleged that while the Taliban have claimed that they have fought for the religion, they have made the US-Taliban deal as 'basis for the talks'.

"40 drug smugglers have been asked to release by those who are accusing the government of corruption," said Ghani, referring to the Taliban's call for the release of their prisoners.

"None of these 40 individuals have been arrested over links with the Taliban....We are building mosques in the country but the Taliban is destroying mosques and madrassas," Ghani said, ANI reported.

The Doha negotiations have faced delays over two disputed points for the ground rules for the talks: the religious basis for the talks and the authority of the US-Taliban deal as the "mother deal" underlying the current negotiations.

The United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal on February 29 that paved the way for the beginning of intra-Afghan talks upon the conclusion of prisoners' exchange.

The peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began on September 12 in Doha.

However, an uptick in violence has been observed in Afghanistan since the talks began. Meanwhile, both sides have publicly expressed their desire to conclude a secure and long-lasting ceasefire to end Afghanistan's long-running conflict.