dpa
Islamabad
Pakistan said it remained committed to the Afghan peace process to end decades of war at a Sunday meeting between Islamabad officials and the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.
Pakistan, which is seen as playing a key role in securing a potential settlement, said it "encouraged all sides to seize the moment to end the prolonged conflict through political settlement.”
"In line with Prime Minister’s vision, Pakistan reiterated its commitment for peace,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. The US and Afghanistan accuse Islamabad of backing Taliban factions, a charge Pakistan denies.
The US special envoy kicked off a two-week peace mission from Islamabad, following a Taliban statement it would continue fighting while keeping the doors of negotiations open.
Khalilzad, who is scheduled to travel to Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, said the Taliban statement provided some welcome support for the peace process and a desire to participate in dialogue with other Afghans. "Let us find ways to work together to reduce or to immediately end the violence, as we continue negotiations to end the war. The killing of the Afghans must stop,” Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.
The US envoy has been shuttling back and forth to the Pakistani capital since President Donald Trump asked Islamabad in December for help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
US officials have long blamed Pakistan’s military spy agency for harbouring Taliban militants on its soil. Islamabad rejects the accusation.
Islamabad
Pakistan said it remained committed to the Afghan peace process to end decades of war at a Sunday meeting between Islamabad officials and the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.
Pakistan, which is seen as playing a key role in securing a potential settlement, said it "encouraged all sides to seize the moment to end the prolonged conflict through political settlement.”
"In line with Prime Minister’s vision, Pakistan reiterated its commitment for peace,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said. The US and Afghanistan accuse Islamabad of backing Taliban factions, a charge Pakistan denies.
The US special envoy kicked off a two-week peace mission from Islamabad, following a Taliban statement it would continue fighting while keeping the doors of negotiations open.
Khalilzad, who is scheduled to travel to Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, said the Taliban statement provided some welcome support for the peace process and a desire to participate in dialogue with other Afghans. "Let us find ways to work together to reduce or to immediately end the violence, as we continue negotiations to end the war. The killing of the Afghans must stop,” Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.
The US envoy has been shuttling back and forth to the Pakistani capital since President Donald Trump asked Islamabad in December for help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
US officials have long blamed Pakistan’s military spy agency for harbouring Taliban militants on its soil. Islamabad rejects the accusation.