Taliban negotiators in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials

Pakistan has invited key members of the Taliban’s negotiating team to Islamabad, where senior officials are to convince them on the importance of starting talks with the Afghan government.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a press briefing on Monday that negotiations between the two sides were “the only way forward” in Afghanistan.

“The delegation is in Islamabad and we will have a round of talks with them tomorrow as part of efforts aimed at (building) mutual confidence,” Qureshi said.

“This is for Afghans to reconcile, and our task is that of a facilitator.”

“The main objective is to secure peace and the next phase should be the start of intra-Afghan dialogue.”

In October 2019, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar – the Taliban's co-founder who spent eight years in Pakistani custody – led a delegation to Islamabad ahead of a deal the insurgents signed in February with Washington.

On Sunday, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that Baradar and other negotiators would discuss "recent developments in Afghanistan's peace process, relaxation and facilitation of peoples' movement and trade between the two neighboring countries."

Tensions remain between Islamabad and Kabul, with the administration of President Ashraf Ghani frequently blaming Islamabad for allegedly sheltering, funding and supplying the Taliban.

Pakistan, which was one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban regime in the 1990s, denies the claims.

MG