ISLAMABAD: The chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs, Alice G. Wells, on Tuesday discussed the ongoing Afghan reconciliation process with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood in Islamabad, ahead of an expected US-Taliban peace agreement.
The principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs at the US State Department has been in Pakistan since Sunday on a four-day visit to discuss a host of issues of bilateral interest, including the Afghan peace process.
US-Taliban talks have been ongoing in the Qatari capital, Doha, where they are moving toward a peace deal.
Pakistan has been involved in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table with the US to restore peace in the region.
“The two sides (Pakistan and the US) ... discussed recent developments regarding the Afghan peace and reconciliation process,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement after the hours-long meeting between Wells and Mahmood.
During the meeting, the statement said Pakistan, has “reaffirmed its resolve to continue to support the peace process and pursue positive development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.”
This is the second time in recent months the US and Taliban have appeared close to announcing a peace deal.
In a tweet quoting Wells, the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said: “A full agenda with #Pakistan MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) FS (Foreign Secretary) Mahmood on expanding important #USPAK cooperation on regional security. With improved bilateral relations, restored military training programs and significant trade & investment opportunities to follow.”
Meanwhile, in a separate post Wells acknowledged that it was “great to hear from business & think tank leaders on ways to further facilitate econ connectivity between #Pakistan & #Afghanistan.”
“In fact, co-production would allow for duty-free export of many items to the US under Generalized System of Preferences--a win-win-win for all,” she added.
In September, President Donald Trump abruptly called off the talks in response to a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed an American soldier.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Monday in a Twitter post that a three-member team representing the Taliban – Mullah Baradar Akhund, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai and Amir Khan Muttaqqi – met with US special envoy for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Gen. Scott Miller, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan.
Experts have termed the recent negotiations between the US and Taliban decisive and are expecting them to reach an agreement by the end of this month.
“Taliban have already agreed on a violence reduction in Afghanistan that was one of the key demands of the US. So, it means both sides are close to a significant peace pact,” Rahimullah Yousafzai, an expert on Afghanistan and Taliban affairs, told Arab News.
He said that Pakistan has played a crucial role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table by using its influence over the militants. “Alice Wells may discuss the pros and cons of the proposed peace agreement with Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership during her meetings,” he said.
