Published 21:56 IST, February 22nd 2020
Pakistan self-praises its role in Taliban-US peace negotiations; says 'fulfilled promises'
The Pakistani Foreign Minister said that his country has fulfilled all the promises made to the US by playing its role in the 'successful' negotiations.
Taking credit for the imminent peace deal between the United States and Afghan Taliban, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boasted for the country's role in the negotiation. Pakistan's statement comes after a week-long "reduction in violence" between the two parties came into force on Friday.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister said that his country has fulfilled all the promises made to the US by playing its role in the 'successful' negotiations. A successful peace deal between the Taliban and the US will lead to the pullout of American troops from Afghanistan, bring the 18-year-old war to an end.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo in a statement said that the US and Taliban have been engaging in extensive talks for the political settlement of the country. Afghan-American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday briefed Pakistan PM Imran Khan's government on the developments in the Taliban peace deal talks during his visit to Islamabad, the US Embassy in Pakistan notified. The talks between the two were resumed in Qatar in December 2019, three months after the US President Donald Trump abruptly halted the diplomatic efforts and called it "dead."
Pakistan's role in peace talks
Pakistan has always welcomed the announcement of the resumption of the stalled talks between the US and the Taliban. Pakistan has been playing an active and negative role in Afghanistan, a US report asserted, stating that Islamabad is attempting to weaken the government in Kabul. As per a report, Pakistan has played an active, and by many accounts, a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades. "Pakistan's security services maintain ties to Afghan insurgent groups, most notably the Haqqani Network, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that has become an official, a semiautonomous component of the Taliban," CRS, which periodically prepares reports on issues of importance for Congressmen for them to make informed decisions, said.
Islamabad's Afghan policy has been motivated to counter New Delhi's influence in Afghanistan, considering India's backing for the government of the country, which has brought some democratic normalcy in the war-torn country. Islamabad, by backing the armed group has contradicted New Delhi in Afghanistan, who has significantly contributed economically, culturally to the neighbour, and been the largest regional contributor to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
Updated 21:56 IST, February 22nd 2020