US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad meets Pak govt, Bajwa in Islamabad to update on Taliban deal

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 meetings between Khalilzad and the Pakistan government officials, expectedly found Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa in attendance. Previously, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation had visited Islamabad on January 31 and December 23, 2019. 

The current status of the meeting was discussed, wherein the US envoy highlighted Pakistan's support for intra-Afghan negotiations, the statement said and discussed the economic and security benefits to the region if the peace talks are successful, it added. "In his meetings with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and other government officials, Ambassador Khalilzad discussed the current status of US-Taliban talks," the statement said Friday.

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An ANI source close to the Islamist movement told Sputnik that both sides had discussed in Doha the reduction of violence and conditions that could spur intra-Afghan talks to begin. However, on Thursday, Khalilzad announced a "brief pause" in Taliban peace talks following an attack on Bagram airbase that killed two and wounded dozens of civilians. He said the Taliban must show a willingness to respond to Afghan desire for peace. 

Taliban Peace Process

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." The peace deal was expected to focus on the 'reduction of violence' through a ceasefire and intra-Afghan negotiations. The US President Donald Trump had confirmed the resumption of talks, however, had refused to give a timeline for the drawdown of US troops.  "Yes," Trump told a small group of reporters at the Bagram Air Field on November 29. 

The US and the Taliban had appeared on the verge of signing a deal that would have seen Washington begin withdrawing thousands of troops in return for security guarantees. It was also expected to pave the way towards direct talks between the Taliban and the government in Kabul and, ultimately, a possible peace agreement after more than 18 years of war. During a surprise visit to a US military base in Afghanistan in November, Trump said the Taliban "wants to make a deal." 

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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.

(With ANI inputs)