The Taliban representatives who went to Paris for a peace meeting in December used Afghan passports, Presidential Spokesman Aimal Faizi said Tuesday.
He pushed back against reports that the Taliban are unwilling to speak with the Afghan government and said the Taliban representatives' use of Afghan documents is an indication of their inclination otherwise.
“To those media [outlets] saying that Taliban are not eager to negotiate with the Afghan government, I have to assure you that Taliban travelled to Paris with Afghan passports,” Faizi said.
He declined to provide more details, but the Taliban representatives at the Paris meeting made it clear that they were representing the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, their erstwhile regime ousted in 2001.
Faizi also said the Taliban had reassured them that they had not sent suicide bombers in the guise of peace negotiators. He added that "other countries" had used them to assassinate high-ranking government officials.
“Some other countries are misusing Taliban’s identity and attending peace meetings. When we asked the Taliban why they were sending suicide bombers as peace envoys, they denied this,”Faizi said.
His comments come as Pakistan released eight Taliban leaders in an effort to show its commitment to help bring the Taliban to the negotiations.
Taliban’s justice minister, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, and Mullah Omar's former bodyguard, Mullah Azam, are among those released.
The High Peace Council welcomed the action and said it will be beneficial to peace efforts.
“The release of Taliban prisoners is a good and effective move for peace negotiations, and we expect the released prisoners not to join the insurgents again,” Peace Council member Shir Mohammad Akhundzada said.
Former Taliban commander Sayed Akbar Agha believes that the release of Mullah Bradar, Mullah Omar's deputy, would have a more positive effect in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
“Release of Taliban prisoners is a good move, but Mullah Ghani Bradar has not yet been released,” Agha said.
According to reports, as many as 27 Taliban officials out of 100 held by Pakistan have been released so far.