Editing Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (section)

===2016 peace deal and pardon===
On 22 September 2016, Hekmatyar was pardoned by the Afghan government as part of a peace deal between Hezb-i-Islami and the government. The deal also allowed for the release of Hezb-i-Islami prisoners and the return of Hekmatyar to public life. The deal led a group of young activists to organise a protest against the pardoning less than a mile away from the signing ceremony. [[Human Rights Watch]] called the deal "an affront to victims of grave abuses".<ref name=butcher>{{cite news|last1=Rasmussen|first1=Sune Engel|title='Butcher of Kabul' Pardoned in Afghan Peace Deal|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/22/butcher-of-kabul-pardoned-in-afghan-peace-deal|work=The Guardian|date=22 September 2016}}</ref> Hezb-i-Islami agreed to cease hostilities, cut ties to extremist groups and respect the [[Afghan Constitution]] in exchange for government recognition of the group and support for the removal of [[United Nations]] and American sanctions against Hekmatyar, who was also promised an honorary post in the government.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/world/asia/afghanistan-peace-deal-hezb-i-islami.html|title=Afghanistan Signs Draft Peace Deal With Faction Led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar|date=23 September 2016|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Bengali, Shashank|author2=Faizy, Sultan|title=Afghanistan Takes a Step Toward Peace With Notorious Ex-Warlord|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-afghanistan-agreement-20160922-snap-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=22 September 2016}}</ref>

The agreement was formalised on 29 September 2016 with both Afghan President [[Ashraf Ghani]] and Hekmatyar, who appeared via a video link in the presidential palace, signing the agreement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/afghanistan-ghani-hekmatyar-sign-peace-deal-160929092524754.html |title=Afghanistan: Ghani, Hekmatyar sign peace deal|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=29 September 2016}}</ref> UN sanctions on him were formally lifted on 3 February 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/lifts-sanctions-gulbuddin-hekmatyar-170204125508334.html|title=UN lifts sanctions against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar|publisher=Al-Jazeera|date=4 February 2017}}</ref> On 4 May 2017, he returned to Kabul along with his fighters to meet President Ghani after spending two decades in hiding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/hekmatyar-returns-kabul-20-years-hiding-170504145123325.html|title=Hekmatyar returns to Kabul after 20 years in hiding|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=5 May 2017}}</ref>

He has then called on the Taliban to end their insurgency and lay down arms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-warlord-hekmatyar-returns-kabul/28467563.html|title=Hekmatyar Urges Taliban 'Brothers' To End War, Offers To Mediate Talks|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|accessdate=Aug 24, 2021}}</ref> Hekmatyar ran in the [[2019 Afghan presidential election]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-election-idUSKCN1PD0DU|title=Former Afghan warlord Hekmatyar enters presidential race|newspaper=Reuters|date=Jan 19, 2019|accessdate=Aug 24, 2021|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref> and finished a distant third.