US envoy arrives in Pakistan to discuss Afghan peace talks

ISLAMABAD: The US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday in his quest to find a political solution to the Afghan conflict. 
The US seeks a negotiated end to the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan with its prime focus being to bring the Taliban to the negotiations’ table. 
On Monday, US President Donald Trump wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking Islamabad’s help in the Afghan reconciliation process. Khan assured every help from Pakistan for regional peace and stability, a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office read. 
Khalilzad is on his second trip to the region, visiting eight countries including Pakistan, “to facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, empowering the Afghan people to decide their nation’s fate”, an official statement released by the US State Department on Sunday read.
“Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar with an interagency delegation from December 2 – 20,” it read, adding that Khalilzad will coordinate with Afghanistan President Abdul Ghani and other Afghan stakeholders for “efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Afghan government”.
Khalilzad, who was also born in Afghanistan, first served in Kabul as a special envoy of former US President George W. Bush and then in September last year — much to Pakistan’s chagrin — when he was appointed as Washington’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, tasked with leading the peace efforts in the war-torn country.
Khalilzad shares a rather explosive relationship with Pakistan and has previously accused Islamabad of fomenting violence in Afghanistan by supporting the Taliban.
In January this year, soon after US President Donald Trump layered Pakistan with insurmountable accusations in the new Afghan policy, Khalilzad tweeted: “@POTUS is right on Pakistan. Success in #Afghanistan and in war against terror require a change in policy of Pakistan which pretends to be a partner but behaves as an enemy. Pakistani double game must stop. Time to shift to a coercive strategy. @RealDonaldTrump.”
During his visit to Islamabad earlier in October, a few months after his appointment as the special representative, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged Khalilzad to be more sensitive to Pakistan’s opinion. “He’s been given a new role, and I hope, I would urge him to be more sensitive to opinion in Pakistan,” Qureshi had told the US Institute of Peace at the time.
On his last trip to the region in November, he met with men and women who play an active role in Afghan civil society and peace efforts, members of the media, and other governmental and non-governmental officials. He stressed that all Afghans must have a say in creating a sustainable peace for Afghanistan.
Khalilzad reiterated the United States’ desire for peace, and its efforts in facilitating a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban that benefits the people. “And I’m off again: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. Watch this space for updates on our efforts to support & facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan,” he tweeted before embarking on his trip.