Afghanistan Government Signs Peace Pact with Hezb-e Islami Led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

The Afghan government and the armed group Hezb-e Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar signed a peace agreement on Thursday, October 23. The peace pact was signed during a ceremony at the High Peace Council in Kabul and will be implemented after being officially signed by Ashraf Ghani, the President of Afghanistan, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Ahmad Gilani, the head of the High Peace Council of Afghanistan, Ata-ur-Rahman Saleem, the secretary of this council, and Hanif Atmar, the National Security Advisor, represented the Afghan government, while Mohammad Karim Amin represented Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is one of the jihadist leaders of Afghanistan who fought against the Soviet Union and has served as Prime Minister of Afghanistan several times. However, his group has been at war with various Afghan governments for nearly three decades. He was also a refugee in Iran for a period. According to the peace agreement between Hezb-e Islami and the Afghan government, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will be pardoned for his past crimes, and members of his party will be released from prison. The Afghan government has also committed to working to lift international sanctions against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Negotiations for this peace pact have been ongoing for several months, and some in the Afghan government feared that this agreement might lead to the return of one of the most radical armed groups in Afghanistan to the political scene. Hezb-e Islami, under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's leadership, has been accused of human rights violations during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s, as well as numerous attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces since 2001. The Afghan government hopes that this peace agreement will encourage the Taliban to end their armed struggle and join the political process.