ISLAMABAD: The US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss intra-Afghan negotiations, as the peace process is facing delays, US and Pakistani sources said.
"The Afghan peace process has entered a critical phase. At this juncture, we need to be wary of elements who want to sabotage peace efforts in Afghanistan," Qureshi said, as quoted in a Foreign Office statement after the meeting.
He added that Pakistan is ready for cooperation with regional and international partners and will continue to play its conciliatory role for Afghan peace. "Development of the whole region depends on peace in Afghanistan," he said.
The US envoy's Islamabad meetings precede his visit to Doha, Qatar, where he is expected to meet with the Taliban political leadership to discuss the intra-Afghan talks and reduction in violence.
On June 29-30, Kalilzad was in Uzbekistan as part of his three-nation tour to "urge support for all Afghans to meet their remaining commitments ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, specifically reduced violence and timely prisoner releases," the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday.
In accordance with a peace deal signed by the US and Taliban in Doha on Feb. 29, the Afghan government was obliged to free 5,000 Taliban inmates in return for 1,000 members of government security forces held by the Taliban side, prior to the commencement of the intra-Afghan talks.
Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Arab News on Wednesday that they had already freed 737 captives, while Kabul has so far released 3,500.
Pakistan's former ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand says the US believes Pakistan still has "considerable leverage" on the Taliban and can bring them to the negotiating table with the Afghan government.
"Americans also want Pakistan to put some pressure on the Taliban to join the intra-Afghan negotiations within a framework. They think Pakistan can do it," Mohmand told Arab News on Wednesday.
He added, however, that although the Taliban listen to Pakistan, it does not mean they will accept whatever Pakistanis tells them to do.
This is Khalilzad's second visit to Pakistan in less than a month. He was in Islamabad on June 7 to discuss the steps required for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations with Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to the State Department, during his current visit Khalilzad is accompanied by US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO Adam Boehler and his team to discuss American investment opportunities in Pakistan.
The delegation will explore investment opportunities and partnerships in a range of sectors to "advance the economic recovery of Afghanistan and support sustained peace and stability in the region," the State Department's statement read.
The US special envoy will skip Kabul on his current tour "due to the challenges of travel during the COVID-19 pandemic" and will conduct meetings with Afghan officials throughout the trip remotely via video, according to the statement.
