After facing much criticism from both national and international leaders, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah led Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation is all set to hold its first meet on Saturday, TOLOnews reported. 

The first meeting of the leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation will be held at the Presidential Palace on Saturday, said Fraidoon Khwazoon, a spokesman for the reconciliation council.

Earlier, the European Union delegations and envoys of the US and UK lamented on the Afghan government over the delay in the operationalization of the council and had called for urgent functioning of the council. 

The council had remained non-functional as differences emerged between the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman Dr. Abdullah Abdullah over the selection of council members. 

Several Afghan national leaders including former NDS chief Rahmatullah Nabil and Salahuddin Rabbani criticized President Ghani for failing to build national consensus over appointing members in the reconciliation council. 
 
The need for urgent operationalization of the council was also felt in the wake of the recent breakthrough in the intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban. As the negotiation with the Taliban enters into the next crucial phase, the council is expected to provide directions to the republic negotiation team. 

One of the most fundamental reasons behind the creation of the council was to build a national consensus within the divided political sphere of Afghanistan.