ISLAMABAD: The US special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation met with Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi on Friday and discussed the “overall regional security situation including Afghan reconciliation process,” the military said in a statement.
Gen. Bajwa “reiterated that our support toward peace process is a manifestation of our goodwill toward the cause,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, in its official handout.
“The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region,” the statement added.
Khalilzad, who secured a peace deal for the United States with the Taliban in February to withdraw all American and NATO forces, arrived in Pakistan after he held talks with the Taliban in Qatar on Wednesday and visited India on Thursday.
The envoy said that in his lengthy meeting with Mullah Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban political office, and his team in Doha, he “sought progress on a range of topics” including reduction in violence and “humanitarian cease-fire as demanded by the international community” to allow for better cooperation on managing COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, according to his Twitter post on Thursday.
Khalilzad also said he called for acceleration of prisoner releases by the Taliban and the Afghan government, actions necessary to secure the freedom of US citizen Mark Frerichs, regional and international support for the peace process, and movement to intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible.
The US envoy said he will meet the Taliban again after his trip to India and Pakistan. He visited India on Thursday as part of his peace efforts.
US media earlier reported that American contractor Frerichs of Lombard, from Illinois, was kidnapped in late January in Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province that borders Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal district.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Frerichs and the US for the first time has spoken about him.
The US envoy arrived in Pakistan at a time when there is an apparent stalemate in the peace process over the release of prisoners as Taliban want release of their 5000 prisoners.
The Taliban-US agreement says up to 5,000 prisoners of the Taliban and up to 1,000 prisoners of the Afghan government will be released by March 10, the first day of the intra-Afghan dialogue. The talks could not start as the Taliban have refused to join the process that is key to decide a future political roadmap.
Spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Office of the National Security Council, Javid Faisal, said on Thursday that a total of 933 Taliban prisoners have been released so far. Faisal told the media in Kabul that 1,500 Taliban prisoners will be released in the coming days pursuant to President Ashraf Ghani’s decree based on their age, health and length of remaining sentence as part of the government’s efforts toward peace and battling COVID-19.
Taliban have freed 207 government’s prisoners until Friday Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Arab News.
It is Khalilzad’s second visit to Pakistan in less than a month.
He last visited Pakistan on April 14 accompanied by Resolute Support Mission Commander General Scott Miller and had a meeting with General Bajwa.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said on Thursday that the US-Taliban peace agreement is a historic opportunity for the Afghan leadership to seize and resolve their mutual issues through an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.
“We hope it helps bring sustainable peace and stability to Afghanistan, which can be secured through successful Intra-Afghan negotiations. We hope that the Afghan parties would seize this historic opportunity and workout a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said at the weekly briefing.
She said that Pakistan has facilitated Afghan peace process throughout U.S-Taliban negotiations and that the country has always maintained that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict.
Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace with officials in Pakistan
https://arab.news/ybzj5
Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace with officials in Pakistan
- Khalilzad met with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Wednesday and sought progress on a range of issues
- The visit comes at a time when there is an apparent stalemate in the peace process over the release of prisoners
Pakistan says inflation to remain within 5-6 percent range in January
- Current account projected to remain in deficit, says Finance Division in monthly economic outlook
- Pakistan suffered a financial crisis in 2023, marked by inflation of 38 percent, depleted forex reserves
KARACHI: Inflation is expected to remain within the 5-6 percent range in January, Pakistan’s Finance Division said in its monthly economic outlook report on Tuesday, saying that the country’s economy is well positioned to sustain growth momentum in FY2026.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was recorded at 5.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) basis in December 2025 as compared to 6.1 percent in November 2025 and 4.1 percent in December 2024.
“Inflation is expected to remain within the range of 5.0-6.0 percent in January,” the Finance Division said.
“On the external front, the current account is projected to remain in a deficit; however, robust remittance inflows and steady performance in IT and services exports are likely to cushion external pressures.”
The report said that the “positive trajectory” of the economy reflects the impact of the government’s prudent policies, ongoing structural reforms and easing of monetary conditions due to subsiding inflationary pressures.
Earlier, Pakistan’s finance ministry adviser Khurram Schehzad said S&P Global Market Intelligence’s latest macroeconomic forecast for Pakistan broadly aligns with projections issued by the State Bank of Pakistan, signaling easing inflation, manageable external balances and a gradual recovery in economic growth.
The assessment came amid stabilizing macroeconomic indicators after Pakistan went through a prolonged financial crisis marked by record inflation of 38 percent, depleted foreign exchange reserves and repeated balance-of-payments pressures, culminating in emergency support from the International Monetary Fund.
Tighter monetary policy, fiscal consolidation and external financing have since helped stabilize prices and ease pressure on the external account, prompting more measured assessments from international credit rating agencies.
“S&P’s projections broadly align with SBP’s outlook, with slight differences on growth and the current account but a shared assessment of easing inflation and gradual economic improvement,” Schehzad said in a statement.
According to S&P, inflation is expected to average 5.1 percent in 2026 and edge up slightly to 5.6 percent in 2027, staying within the SBP’s projected range of 5 percent to 7 percent over the next two years.
On the external front, S&P forecast a current account deficit of 0.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2026, broadly in line with the central bank’s expectation that the deficit will remain between 0 percent and 1 percent of GDP in the fiscal year.
Economic growth is projected to strengthen gradually, with S&P forecasting real GDP growth of 3.5 percent in fiscal year 2026, rising to 4.4 percent the following year. The SBP has projected growth of 3.75 percent to 4.75 percent for FY26.
Both S&P and SBP projections echo the government’s assessment that macroeconomic conditions are stabilizing, as Pakistan seeks to attract foreign investment and push toward export-led growth.
