KABUL, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has appointed a former vice president as head of the govrnment-backed High Peace Council (HPC) to encourage anti-government militants to give up fighting and join peace process, local TV channel Tolo reported on Tuesday.
The appointment of Mohammad Karim Khalil as the head of the peace body came after the death of Pir Sayed Ahmad Gilani, the former chief of HPC, who died of illness in January.
Established in 2010, the 70-member High Peace Council has been authorized to encourage armed opposition groups especially the Taliban militants to hold talks with government and end the country's militancy peacefully.
However, Taliban militants have repeatedly conditioned the talks on the withdrawal of the U.S.-led foreign forces, a demand unacceptable to Afghan administration.
