Afghan lawmaker says wary of Pakistan role in Taliban peace moves

(Reuters) - A senior Afghan lawmaker has warned President Ashraf Ghani about relying onPakistan to help broker peace talks with the Taliban, citing what he said was Islamabad's history of supporting the insurgents.

Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of backing the Taliban to push its own agenda in the war-torn country, and Ghani's rapprochement with Islamabad since coming to power last year has led to unease in some quarters.

"I am in support of peace and stability in Afghanistan, but I don't have much faith in Pakistan's honesty over peace talks," Fazil Hadi Muslimyar, speaker of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters.

"President Ashraf Ghani must have a guarantee from  Pakistan that if the Taliban enter into negotiations,  Pakistan will not use other militants as proxies [to fight against Afghanistan]," he said.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, a former national security adviser in the last government, said he supported the peace initiative, but also had concerns about Pakistan's role in the process.

"Pakistan's military and its intelligence agency are the forces behind the Taliban, and that prevents me from being hopeful," Spanta said.  Read More at Afghan lawmaker says wary

Afghan lawmaker says wary of Pakistan role in Taliban peace moves

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