WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan have worked together inarranging a temporary ceasefire in Afghanistan, hoping that it wouldjump-start the Afghan reconciliation process, official and diplomaticsources told Dawn.

At a Thursday afternoon seminar, a senior US official confirmed thatWashington was pursuing “multiple lines of effort” for bringing peace toAfghanistan and an important component of that effort was to ensure thatPakistan played “a constructive role” in it.

“We have asked for Pakistan’s assistance in facilitating a peace process,”said Lisa Curtis, a senior adviser to the US president.

“And we have sought to understand Pakistan’s own core security concerns andensure that its interests are taken into account in any peace process.” USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that US and Nato troops inAfghanistan will also observe this truce and there will be no attack on themilitants if they do not breach the ceasefire arrangement.

Pakistan’s role in the ceasefire was also discussed at a news briefing by asenior administration official in Washington. “We’re certainly hopeful thatboth the Taliban and those … or countries that have some degree ofinfluence with the Taliban will equally support this limited durationceasefire,” he said.

At this news briefing, called hours after Secretary Pompeo and VicePresident Mike Pence spoke to Pakistani leaders, journalists pointed outthat while Washington and Islamabad present the ceasefire as an Afghaninitiative, people in Afghanistan believe that it was pushed by theAmericans and the Pakistanis.