ISLAMABAD: US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, on Monday appreciated Pakistan’s “sincere and unconditional support” in facilitating ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks, the Pakistan army said in a statement.
Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on Monday and met Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, two days after the Taliban insurgent group and the Afghan government started key negotiations to end a 19-year-old war in Afghanistan.
“The visiting dignitary greatly appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoing peace process and said that it could not have succeeded without Pakistan’s sincere and unconditional support,” the army’s media wing said, adding:
“COAS [chief of army staff] said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has given clear vision regarding peace and connectivity in the region and all elements of national power are united toward making that vision a reality to ensure long awaited peace, progress and prosperity in the region.”
The American embassy in Islamabad said Khalilzad had thanked Pakistan for its role in advancing the Afghanistan peace process.
“Ambassador Khalilzad expressed appreciation on behalf of the United States, especially the important role that Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa played in facilitating the start of the Afghanistan Peace Negotiations in Doha on September 12, and stressed the need for ongoing regional and international support for this historic opportunity for peace,” the embassy’s statement said.
Historic peace talks kicked off in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Saturday after months of delays in US-led efforts to end a conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed and wounded more than 100,000 civilians.
Achieving a significant reduction in violence and getting to a permanent cease-fire are among the top issues the sides are discussing.
Just hours after peace talks started, Taliban and Afghan government forces clashed across Afghanistan, officials told Reuters, underscoring the uphill challenge of ending the long civil war. The most intense of those clashes on Saturday were in Kunduz, where Taliban again jostled with security forces for control of key highways, and the Afghan military deployed air and artillery strikes.
The Taliban’s muscular action comes just as the United States rapidly draws down its troops in Afghanistan, in line with President Donald Trump’s promises to end America’s longest war. A February pact between Washington and the Taliban set May 2021 as the date for the final pullout, subject to certain security guarantees.
US troop numbers are expected to fall to 4,500 by November from over 100,000 in 2011.
Afghan peace talks couldn’t have happened without Pakistan’s ‘unconditional’ support — Zalmay Khalilzad
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Afghan peace talks couldn’t have happened without Pakistan’s ‘unconditional’ support — Zalmay Khalilzad
- US special envoy arrived in Pakistan on Monday and met Pakistani army chief General Bajwa
- US embassy in Islamabad says Khalilzad thanked Pakistan for ‘important’ role in advancing peace
Pakistan alarmed as Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calls for immediate ceasefire
- Pakistan envoy urges both sides to resolve ongoing conflict through peaceful means during Security Council briefing
- Russia last Friday fired hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead at Ukraine, drawing criticism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmad this week expressed alarm as the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, calling for an immediate ceasefire and demanding both countries resolve their issues peacefully through dialogue.
The development takes place days after Russia last week fired an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at Ukraine called Oreshnik. The move drew sharp criticism as the missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads. Russia said it fired the Oreshnik in response to what Moscow says was an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Dec. 29 against one of Putin’s residences in northern Russia. Ukraine denies Moscow’s claims.
February 2026 will mark four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II. The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
“We are alarmed by the recent intensification in fighting with escalation in attacks from both sides, further worsening the already dire humanitarian situation,” Ahmad said on Monday during a UN Security Council briefing on the Ukraine conflict.
“Such actions not only perpetuate the conflict, but they also undermine trust, and the ongoing efforts for peace.”
The Pakistani envoy urged both sides to abide by the principles of international law and ensure civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected during the conflict. He said Pakistan’s position on resolving the issue through dialogue has not changed.
“Now, more than ever before, the overwhelming global opinion is on the side of ending this conflict through peaceful means,” Ahmad said. “This can only be achieved through a sustained, meaningful and structured dialogue.”
US President Donald Trump has been pushing both sides to strike a deal to halt the conflict, running shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a bid to get an agreement across the line. Plans to broker peace collapsed after an initial 28-point plan, which largely adhered to Moscow’s demands, was criticized by Kyiv and Europe.
Ahmad appreciated the US for attempting to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.
“We hope that all sides would make full use of the ongoing diplomacy, demonstrate genuine political will, and engage constructively to make meaningful strides toward a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict, starting with an immediate ceasefire,” he said.
