The next round of the talks with the Taliban must start on the prescheduled time, said the High Council For National Reconciliation, TOLOnews reported. The council’s decision comes after five days of consultation with several political leaders of the country. 

“There won’t be any problem from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s side. We are ready to hold the talks at their scheduled time,” Fraidoon Khwazoon, a spokesman for the High Council for National Reconciliation, was quoted by TOLOnews. 

There are some concerns over a possible delay in starting the next phase of the talks as the Taliban is expected to push the Government for the release of more prisoners under the agreement they had signed with the US in February this year. 

President Ghani has made it clear that the government wouldn’t release any more Taliban prisoners as the group failed to honour its commitment to reduce violence after the earlier release of 5000 prisoners. 

Earlier a report in Reuters, citing sources from the Taliban’s political commission, said the group would take up the issue of rising violence with their military commanders that are based in Pakistan. Also, a delegation led by Mullah Baradar is currently camping in Pakistan to discuss the progress of the intra-Afghan talks with other leaders in Pakistan. 

The Taliban sources, according to the Reuters' report, also said, it ( the rising violence) started creating problems for us in Doha.