ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation Tuesday exchanged views on the current status of Afghan peace process and the way forward.
The delegation met with the foreign minister at the Foreign Office here. However, during the two-hour meeting, there was no announcement of any fixed date for the intra-Afghan talks expected to take place in Doha.
This was the second time that the Afghan delegation was in Islamabad at the invitation of the foreign minister.
Pakistan’s delegation included senior officials and Director General ISI General Faiz Hameed, while the Afghan delegation was led by Deputy Amir Mullah Baradar and senior members of the Afghan political wing.
The delegation was conveyed that Pakistan believed that a lasting solution to the problem could only be achieved through dialogue and not by military means and that it was overseen by the Afghans.
The Taliban political office in Doha meanwhile announced that the Afghan Taliban had finalized a 20-member negotiating team for the upcoming talks with the Kabul government thirteen of whom were from the group’s existing leadership council.
"Pakistan will continue to play its role in the Afghan peace process and ensure peace in the region,” Qureshi said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Qureshi said, "The Taliban leadership thinks that Pakistan has played a positive role in bringing peace in Afghanistan. They highlighted that there were some obstacles that could be resolved through the dialogue."
The foreign ministry did not comment on one sticking point, which was holding back the intra-Afghan dialogue which was made clear on Tuesday by the Taliban chief negotiator Sher Abbas Stanekzai that no date had been announced for the talks yet, but they were set to begin following the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners by the Afghan government – a condition of the Doha deal.
“Kabul had agreed to release prisoners but later deviated from its commitment. We will not start the intra-Afghan dialogue even if our one prisoner stays in jail. Every prisoner is a hero,” Stanekzai told Arab News.
Qureshi said he had impressed upon the Afghan Taliban leadership that they should take full advantage of this rare opportunity in the form of peace agreement.
While there was no word yet from the Taliban delegation on the two-hour discussions at the Foreign Office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar according to the Foreign Office statement thanked the foreign minister for the invitation and affirmed support for efforts for peace, security, and development in Afghanistan.
The delegation also thanked the government and people of Pakistan for their consistent support to the people of Afghanistan, including for graciously hosting the Afghan refugees for over four decades.
Meanwhile the Foreign Office pointed to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stance that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and that a political settlement was the only way forward.
Highlighting Pakistan’s positive contribution to the peace and reconciliation process, culminating in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on 29 February 2020, Qureshi underlined that this historic opportunity must be seized by the Afghan stakeholders to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive negotiated political solution.
Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.
“The foreign minister emphasized the implementation of the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in its entirety, paving way for the earliest possible commencement of Intra-Afghan negotiations,” said the Foreign Office in a statement.
The foreign minister again cautioned against the ‘spoilers’ who did not wish to see the return of peace in the region.
For its part, the foreign minister stressed that Pakistan will continue to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.
He also highlighted the importance of Pakistan-Afghanistan ties based on amity, shared history, and geography and reaffirmed Pakistan’s abiding solidarity with the brotherly people of Afghanistan.
“He urged the international community to enhance its engagement for reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan. The foreign minister also underscored the need for creating economic opportunities and an environment conducive for return of Afghan refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour,” said the Foreign Office.
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