WASHINGTON: Pakistan Foreign Office makes important statement overAfghanistan peace deal linked with Taliban.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday that the Taliban hadexpressed a “willingness to reduce violence”, expressing the hope that anagreement between the militants and the US will see peace prevail inAfghanistan.
In a video message shared from the official Instagram account of theforeign office, Qureshi said “a step towards a peace agreement” had beentaken today.
“Today, a positive development has surfaced [regarding the Afghan peaceprocess],” said the foreign minister in a video message. “The Taliban haveexpressed their willingness to the demand of reduction in violence. In myopinion, this is a step towards a peace agreement,” he added.
Qureshi said Pakistan had played a responsible part in ensuring peaceprevailed in the region. He said Islamabad wished for peace to prevail inAfghanistan and Pakistan as well.
Read Top Stories
According to the AFP, two insurgent sources said the Taliban have offered acease-fire to the US, a move that could allow for the resumption of talksseeking a deal for Washington to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Bothcountries have been fighting a war for the past 18 years that has seenthousands killed, injured and displaced in the country.
After nearly two decades of fighting, Washington wants to withdraw UStroops from the country but not without security guarantees.
For weeks it has been calling on the Taliban to reduce violence, posing itas a condition for resuming formal negotiations on an agreement that wouldsee US troops begin to leave the country.
