Afghanistan signs draft pact with Hekmatyar’s Hizb-i-Islami

Afghanistan signed a draft agreement on Wednesday with the Hizb-i-Islami group in a move the government hopes could lead to a full peace accord with one of the most notorious warlords in the insurgency.

Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is a veteran of decades of Afghan war and rights groups have accused his group of widespread abuses, particularly during civil war in the early 1990s, when he briefly served as prime minister.

The deal offers President Ashraf Ghani’s government a concrete sign that it is making headway in drawing insurgent groups away from the battlefield and into the political process.

Mohammad Khan, deputy to government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, said the draft accord was a positive step but more work would be needed for a final deal.

In 2003, the U.S. State Department included Hekmatyar on its terrorist list, accusing him of participating in and supporting attacks by al Qaeda and the Taliban. - Read More at the PK
Afghanistan signs draft pact with Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami

Afghanistan signs draft accord with militant leader - Reuters

Quadrilateral group agrees to give Afghan peace another chance