City
Epaper

Khalilzad in Pak to discuss Afghan peace deal

By IANS | Updated: February 1, 2020 08:50 IST

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy on Afghan reconciliation, held crucial meetings in Islamabad with Pakistani authorities in order to fine tune the contours of the Afghan peace deal likely to be signed between Washington and the Taliban soon.

Open in App

Khalilzad, who is spearheading the Afghan peace efforts, flew from Doha on an unscheduled visit to Islamabad on Friday, reports The Express Tribune.

He first held talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office and later met Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Informed sources said that the US envoy was in Islambad to take the Pakistani authorities into confidence about the imminent peace deal.

However, certain issues have not yet been sorted out and hence Khalilzad made an unannounced visit.

The US is believed to have been pushing the Taliban to immediately start intra-Afghan dialogue once the framework agreement regarding the troop withdrawal is signed.

The Taliban, however, are reluctant to commit to the dialogue as they seek at least a month to start talking to other Afghan groups, including the Kabul administration.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Qureshi termed the resumed US-Taliban engagement in Doha as a "positive development", said The Express Tribune report.

Qureshi stressed the need for early conclusion of negotiations and peace deal in the larger interest of the peace process and reiterated that the only solution of the conflict was an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process that would help create a peaceful, stable and prosperous country.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Shah Mehmood QureshiusForeign Officedoha
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalColorado Nightclub Raid: Over 100 Illegal Immigrants Detain at Underground Nightclub in US; Video Surfaces

BusinessGlobal Tech Firms Eye India for Manufacturing Amid US-China Tensions

InternationalIllinois Plane Crash: 4 Killed After Cessna C180G Aircraft Goes Down After Hitting Power Lines in Trilla

NationalPM Narendra Modi Discusses Tech and Innovation Collaboration With Elon Musk

InternationalCalifornia Shooting: 6 People Injured in Firing Outside Barbershop in Stockton

International Realted Stories

International"Military solution is no solution": UN Secy General asks India, Pakistan to exercise "maximum restraint"

International21% water shortage expected for Kharif season in Pakistan after India puts Indus Treaty in abeyance

InternationalFinance Minister Sitharaman meets ADB President, Italian counterpart; highlights India's DPI success, government initiatives

InternationalIndia strongly objects to Khalistani imagery, language in Toronto parade: Sources

InternationalDenmark breaks ground on major carbon storage terminal