Amid peace talks, Afghanistan to release close to 200 Taliban prisoners from Pul-e-Charkhi

At least 170 Taliban prisoners have been released from the Pul-e-Charkhi - Afghanistan's biggest prison - and another 130 jail inmates are expected to be freed on Tuesday, a move that has come when peace talks are underway to end the nearly-two decades-long civil war in Afghanistan.

As per Tolo News, prisoners released by the  Afghan Government were imprisoned on charges of membership and cooperation with the Taliban. The announcement about the release of Taliban prisoners was made by President Ashraf Ghani on the closing day of the grand council on peace earlier in May.

The Afghan grand council ended on May 3 with a call for peace with the Taliban and a promise from Ghani to free 175 Taliban prisoners ahead of the Islamic holy week of Ramadan.

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Again on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Afghan president announced the release of 887 prisoners as part of his efforts to persuade the resurgent group to engage in intra-Afghan dialogue to end the conflict through diplomatic settlement.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the four-day 'Loya Jirga' (grand consultative session), he urged the Taliban to show respect toward the recommendations for peace proposed by participants of the meeting.

"I call on the Taliban to prepare for direct negotiations [for peace]. We are ready to create an enabling environment for these negotiations," he said.

Meanwhile, according to critics, the decision will have a possible negative impact on the country's fragile situation and that the decision has been made without wider consultations.

The move came at a time when diplomatic efforts have taken center stage in the Afghan peace process, which has hit constant deadlocks due to persistent denial by the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Kabul government.