Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Abdullah Abdullah has brushed off reports that he is inching closer to a rapprochement with his rival Ghani and sought Ghani’s plans and orders before his inauguration as president to be abrogated.
Rumors have been circulating in the social media that Ghani and Abdullah were reportedly reaching a power-sharing agreement to end the six-month-long post-election political turmoil.
As Kabul and the Taliban are edging towards peace negotiations, Afghan leaders have been at odds over power amid ratcheted up efforts to reconcile and broker a reconciliation and power-sharing deal to end a bickering that is risking falling into nascent peace talks.
President’s advisor Vahid Omar had said earlier that both the teams of Ghani and Abdullah are hardly trying to reach a deal and end their disagreements and the ensuing political tensions. Both the leaders held their separate presidential inaugurations last month with Abdullah introducing his parallel ‘inclusive’ government.
Earlier last week, Omar had said that it was expected that the government will form an all-inclusive merit-based cabinet so that all Afghan people will see themselves involved in the political stratum,” he said. Vahid Omar highlighted that that will be done in light of the Constitution.
This is as the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Afghan leaders to form an inclusive government as they did form an inclusive peace team.
Ghani and Abdullah had locked horns on their standpoint vis-à-vis the outcome of the 2019 presidential vote which gave lead to Ghani and drew Abdullah’s ire and opposition. He later rejected the results and proclaimed himself the president. He even held his inauguration as the president exactly when Ghani was being sworn in in the presidential palace.
Ever since former president Hamid Karzai and Jihadi leader Abdulrab Rasoul Sayyaf have met with the squabbling leaders to convince them to stop being intransigent, but all attempts have foundered to end the election turmoil which has given birth to two presidents. This political acrimony is ruining the prospects of peace talks with the Taliban.
