by Samim Faramarz
A dissident Taliban faction led by Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi on Wednesday said that Pakistan made deliberate attempts to take the Afghan peace process hostage, adding that Taliban will no longer take directions from the Pakistani military generals.
Referring to a recent peace agreement signed between the Afghan government and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar-led Hizb-e-Islami party, Niazi called the move a plot by Pakistan.
In reference to Niazi's allegations, meanwhile, a Hizb-e-Islami official has rejected the assertions made by him as baseless bluffs, saying the peace accord was clinched following intense efforts and peace initiatives by the people, the High Peace Council (HPC) and the public.
"The recent peace negotiations which were brokered in Kabul with Hizb-e-Islami was fabricated by Pakistan. We had been skeptical about the peace process with Hekmatyar which takes root from Peshawar and we have not endorsed the process," said Niazi.
Manan also said that Pakistan will not be allowed in the future to teach the Taliban the lesson of Jihad.
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