Kalla reportedly hosted the visiting mullah over the weekend, as gleaned from widely circulated reports that were, in some instances asked to be retracted, while officials remained tight-lipped over the high-profile visit at a time of heightened tensions in Afghanistan.

Kalla welcomed Baradar to his residence in Central Jakarta on Saturday before they headed for Sunda Kelapa Mosque for maghrib (evening prayers), according to a press release from the Vice President’s Office. Baradar and Kalla then continued talks over a dinner meeting that also involved Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi.

“The Vice President said that Indonesia has always maintained communications with all parties involved in the Afghanistan peace process, including the Afghan government and the Taliban,” said the press release. “Indonesia also communicated with the United States and other parties.”

The press statement was circulated along with a picture of the two senior figures, two other Taliban delegates and Hamid Awaludin, Indonesia’s point man in negotiations with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leading up to the Helsinki peace agreement in 2005

It had been published by several national news outlets before Kalla’s office reportedly asked for the picture to be removed, providing no clear reason.

A video of Baradar praying at the iconic Istiqlal Mosque — Southeast Asia’s largest — has also been circulating online, though officials have not confirmed its authenticity.

Acting Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah also kept mum when The Jakarta Post inquired about Baradar’s visit, providing only a brief confirmation that a Taliban delegation had indeed visited the capital.

The visit comes at a tense time for participants of the Afghan peace process, with the Taliban refusing to negotiate with the Afghan government.

Indonesia has repeatedly expressed its support for the peace process and offered various forms of assistance, from training Afghan diplomats to establishing an Indonesian Islamic Center in Kabul.

Its efforts run parallel to that of the US and Norway, which are also engaging the two sides.

In March, Retno underlined the nation’s resolve to help build trust among the opposing sides, in addition to sharing best practices in state-building and advocacy at international forums.

“Trust-building is an essential element in every peace process. As such, Indonesia hosted the Trilateral Ulema Meeting last year. In this context, Indonesia is ready to facilitate any activities that supports trust-building,” she said after a meeting with her Afghan counterpart, Salahuddin Rabbani.

International relations expert Agung Nurwijoyo from the University of Indonesia told the Post that Jakarta’s diplomacy in Afghanistan was meant to bolster its influence not only in the global context but also in the Islamic world.

In May last year, the government hosted a trilateral ulema conference in Bogor, West Java, that featured religious figures from Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The event was held at the request of Afghanistan following Kalla’s participation in the Kabul peace process conference in February, and follows up on a commitment President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made in Kabul in January during a meeting with Afghanistan’s Ashraf Ghani. (tjs)

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