Pakistan has welcomed the resumption of United States and Afghan Taliban peace talks and expressed hope that resumption of talks will to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
In a press release issued by Pakistan’s foreign office, it was stated that “We hope that it will lead to intra-Afghan negotiations and ultimately to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. Pakistan encourages all parties to the conflict to engage constructively as a shared responsibility.”
It continued, “Pakistan has always maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. An inclusive peace and reconciliation process, involving all segments of the Afghan society, is the only practical way forward.”
Pakistan’s statements came after US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Wednesday (Dec 4) in an attempt to breathe new life into efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, the US State Department has said. His next stop will be Doha, where he is due to rejoin talks with Taliban negotiators to discuss steps that could lead to a ceasefire and a settlement to the war in, according to a State Department statement.
“Ambassador Khalilzad will rejoin talks with the Taliban to discuss steps that could lead to intra-Afghan negotiations and a peaceful settlement of the war, specifically a reduction in violence that leads to a ceasefire,” the statement said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell when he tweeted to cancel the secret summit at Camp David with Afghan Taliban and Afghan president. The reason for this abrupt cancellation was given that Afghan Taliban continues to attack Kabul and US and NATO troops. One US and Romanian soldier was killed in a attack on Kabul. The Taliban claim the responsibility of that attack.
His tweet came as a big surprise for many those who were optimistic about a possible deal and agreement between US and Afghan Taliban. The president Trump planned a secret summit separately with Afghan Taliban leaders and Afghan president Ashraf Ghani.
The planned summit at presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland was never made public and was kept secret. The main aim of this summit was to bring both sides to the negotiations table. The cancellation of Camp David summit is a big blow to the yearlong peace negotiations between US and Afghan Taliban.
