ISLAMABAD – In a major diplomatic success for Pakistan, the Afghangovernment and the Taliban have agreed for peace talks, officials said onTuesday.
The development came after this week’s “productive meetings” betweenForeign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the Afghan leadership includingPresident Ashraf Ghani in Kabul.
Pakistan had convinced both the sides to hold talks for the sake of peacein the country and the region, The Nation has reported.
“It’s a huge success for Pakistan. We don’t know when the talks will beformally held but they have taken a step forward. They (the Afghangovernment and the Taliban) have agreed for peace talks. They will discussterms and conditions in the coming days,” said one official.
Another official said Pakistan deserved a credit for ‘concrete steps’ forthe peace process in Afghanistan. “It’s good that Afghanistan is alsoacknowledging our efforts,” he remarked.
After the meeting with Afghan leaders on December 24, Foreign MinisterQureshi had said he had “productive meetings” over the peace process withthe Taliban.
“I’ve had productive meetings with the Afghan leadership this morning,”Qureshi wrote on Twitter. “The peace process is making positive headway.”
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Qureshi met Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and President AshrafGhani in the first stop of his three-day tour of four countries which alsoincluded Iran, China, and Russia. He had completed talks with the Chinesecounterpart yesterday and will fly to Russia for more talks in Moscow.
Salahuddin Rabbani said on Twitter that he discussed “issues of greatimportance” with Qureshi.
Earlier, the Taliban had refused to enter into dialogue with the Afghangovernment’s representatives. However, ‘acknowledging’ Pakistan’sdiplomatic move, they have ‘conditionally’ agreed to negotiate with thegovernment.
The Taliban have asked for establishment of caretaker government and theformulation of a committee, in which representatives from their side wouldput forward their perspective of the setup. Besides, they have asked for animmediate release of some of their prominent leaders. The dialogue processis expected to progress after a response from the Afghan government.
