Khalilzad advises Islamabad to fix policy on Kabul for better US-Pak relations

Pakistan's 'policy toward Afghanistan must change, otherwise, the US and Pakistan relations will not improve', he said

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Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, talks with local reporters at the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, November 18, 2018. US Embassy/Handout via Reuters
 

WASHINGTON: US Afghan peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Thursday the relations between the United States and Pakistan would not improve until Islamabad reconsiders its policies pertaining to Kabul.

According to Afghan media outlet Tolo News, Ambassador Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, was addressing youth in the Bamiyan, Jawzjan, and Parwan provinces via a video call.

The envoy of Washington further highlighted that in addition to a potential peace deal between the Afghan Taliban and the US, Islamabad and Kabul, too, shall reach an agreement through which Pakistan would be able to play a more "a constructive role in Afghanistan".

“We … are seeking that an agreement should be reached between Afghanistan and Pakistan that can result in peace and (can stop) the interferences Pakistan has made in Afghanistan,” Khalilzad said, as per the Afghan publication.

Urging Pakistan to play a more positive role, he said if Islamabad desires better ties with Washington, "their policy toward Afghanistan must change, otherwise, the US and Pakistan relations will not improve”.