Zalmay Khalilzad, FM Qureshi discuss Afghan peace process

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Foreign Ministry during his one-day visit on Friday. During the meeting, they discussed the Afghan peace process as well as law and order situation in the region. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan has been of the view since day one that use of force is no solution to the Afghan issue. “We hope that US-Taliban talks will resume soon. Regional peace and stability is linked to peace in Afghanistan,” he maintained. The minister said that Pakistan will continue to play its conciliatory role with good intent. US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad informed Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the US-Taliban talks at the delegation level. He lauded Pakistan’s conciliatory role for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan.

US officials 'pause' Taliban talks after suicide attack

Reuters add from Kabul: US negotiators are taking a ‘brief pause’ from talks with the Taliban after the militants launched a suicide attack on a US base outside Kabul killing two civilians, Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday. Khalilzad had renewed talks with the Taliban earlier this month on steps that could lead to a ceasefire and a settlement of the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan. “I met Talibs today, I expressed outrage about attack on Bagram,” Khalilzad wrote on Twitter, referring to the attack on Bagram air base on Wednesday which killed two people and injured more than 70 others. “We’re taking a brief pause for them to consult their leadership on this essential topic,” he added. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Friday’s meeting was ‘very good and friendly’. “Both sides decided to resume the talks after a few days of break for consultation,” he said. Peace negotiations began earlier this year, though US President Donald Trump unexpectedly suspended talks in September citing an attack in Kabul in which an American soldier was killed. Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, security officials and more than 2,400 American service members have been killed in the almost two-decade-old war. There are currently about 13,000 US forces in Afghanistan as well as thousands of other NATO troops. US officials have said US forces could drop to 8,600 and still carry out an effective, core counter-terrorism mission as well as some limited advising for Afghan forces.