Afghan President’s Special Envoy for Pakistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks with Pakistan on the peace process, officials and diplomats said.
Daudzai will represent his country in talks of a Pakistan and Afghanistan committee on the peace process that has been formed following the visit to Afghanistan by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in November.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan will lead Pakistani delegation in the first meeting of the committee.
Officials said Daudzai will also meet Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar and several other officials during the three-day visit.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have also formed a joint committee for cooperation in the security sector.
This is the first meeting of the two countries’ committee on the peace process and a Pakistani official said Pakistan is now involved in talks on the peace process with the United States, Afghanistan and the Taliban.
Pakistani leaders say the country has played the role of facilitator in the dialogue between the US and the Taliban that resulted into signing of an agreement in Qatar in Feb. 2020 for withdrawal of all foreign forces by May. The Biden administration has hinted to review the Doha agreement. But the Taliban are urging the US to implement the agreement and withdraw all troops in accordance with the deal.
Islamabad was the center of activities for the political solution to the Afghan conflict in recent days with the visits of several foreign officials dealing with Afghanistan.
Zamir Kabulov, Russian’s Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, the Commander, United States Central Command and Mutlaq Bin Majed Al Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar visited Pakistan and held talks on ways to push for the Afghan peace process.
They met civil and military leaders on Pakistan’s role in the peace process in view of no progress in intra-Afghan negotiations in Qatar.
The Taliban and an Afghan government’s team resumed negotiations in Qatar on Monday evening after a month’s stalemate and now both sides are discussing items for the agenda.
The Biden administration has hinted at review of the Doha agreement and is expected to miss the May withdrawal deadline, which may be a matter of concern for countries like Russia and Iran.
Taliban leaders have been urging the US and its NATO allies to adhere to the agreement that they think is the only option to end the conflict in Afghanistan.
