PM Imran meets Khalilzad, reiterates support for Afghan peace deal

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday met US Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast and sincere support to Afghan peace and reconciliation process.

The prime minister during his meeting with Khalilzad also underlined the need to overcome the difficulties in this regard, so that an enduring political solution to the Afghan conflict could be achieved at the earliest.

During the meeting, the premier stressed that it was important for all sides to take practical steps for checking violence in Afghanistan.

He said it was equally important to guard against the negative narratives and efforts by any quarter to undermine the progress made so far through painstaking efforts.

PM Imran said Pakistan will continue to play its role as a sincere and honest friend for establishing peace in Afghanistan.

Read also: Khalilzad in Kabul to brief Afghan government

He added that achieving sustainable peace and security in Afghanistan and the region is in Pakistan’s best national interest.

On Sunday, the top US negotiator was in Kabul to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the peace efforts during his first trip back since the US president suddenly ended talks with the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war.

Khalilzad's visit comes after a flurry of low-key meetings that he has held, including with the Taliban this month, in neighbouring Pakistan. 

Talks with the Taliban on a plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees were halted by Trump last month following the death of a US soldier and 11 other people in a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul.

Read also: Trump says Afghanistan peace talks with Taliban are 'dead'

Before the US-Taliban talks broke off, both sides said they were close to reaching a deal, despite concerns among some US security officials and Afghan government officials that a US withdrawal could bring more conflict and a resurgence of Daesh factions.

The Taliban have refused to talk to Ghani’s government, denouncing it as a US puppet.

Khalilzad, on the other hand, had been pressing the Taliban to declare a ceasefire with Afghan government forces and make a commitment to power-sharing talks. The Taliban said that would follow a deal on the withdrawal of all foreign forces.