Pakistan’s envoy assure Afghan govt of Taliban’s Return to Talks

KABUL (Tolonews): The Pakistani delegation led by special envoy Mohammad Sadiq during their two-day visit to Kabul has assured the Afghan government of the meaningful participation of the Taliban at the Istanbul summit, according to an Afghan official who met with the delegation.

Umer Daudzai, President Ghani’s special envoy for Pakistan, told TOLOnews that his Pakistani counterpart also assured them that the Taliban will agree on a reduction in violence and ceasefire with their participation at the peace summits.

The delegation pledged it will address its promises right after the announcement of a new date for the Turkey conference.

The delegation met with President Ghani’s special envoy Umer Daudzai and National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib in separate meetings.

 “They brought the message that they will work with all their resources to convince the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and that the Taliban should not miss the chance for talks. They were referring to the Istanbul conference,” Daudzai said.

But the delegation has not shared details of the Taliban team’s visit to Islamabad, said Daudzai.

“The Taliban delegation apparently is not meeting with Pakistani officials and as they (Pakistani delegation) said, they (Taliban delegation) are meeting with its leadership. That is why they (Pakistani delegation) did not say anything about this,” Daudzai added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi in an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency has underlined the fear for a civil war in Afghanistan, saying it is “the last thing anyone wants,” if there is no agreement and political settlement.

“The stakes are very high. If there’s progress, there can be peace, there can be stability, and the region collectively will benefit from the outcome of a peace process,” Qureshi said in the interview. “The stakes are high, simply for the reason that God forbid, if there is no agreement, if there is no political settlement, the fear of going back into the 90s, the fear of Afghanistan going into a civil war is looming over our heads. And that is the last thing anyone of us wants. And that is the last thing Pakistan wants because Pakistan has paid a huge price because of the unstable environment in Afghanistan.”

So far, the details of Shaikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani’s consultations with Taliban leadership in Pakistan are not clear but Pakistan’s influence is seen as prominent in Kabul.

“Pakistan has influence on the Taliban and can encourage the group to return to the talks,” said Qazi Mohammad Amin Waqad, former deputy head of the High Peace Council.

This comes as the Istanbul conference on Afghanistan was expected to be held this month, but it was delayed over non-participation by the Taliban.