WASHINGTON: Washington and allies were hoping peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the Kabul government would also yield an agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan that neither side’s territory would be used to attack the other, the Special Representative for Afghanistan said on Tuesday, as the insurgents and Kabul remained divided on even basic issues 10 days into talks meant to end two decades of war.
Afghanistan has for years accused Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants. Pakistan denies doing so and in turn accuses Afghanistan of supporting militants fighting Islamabad, which Kabul denies.
“We’re hoping that by the time that these other negotiations are over, we could also achieve success in that regard,” special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told a House of Representatives hearing, referring to a deal between Kabul and Islamabad.
The level of violence in Afghanistan is unacceptably high and the United States expects further setbacks during talks, Khalilzad said: “By any measure, current levels of violence are too high … We know that reductions are possible.”
Despite difficulties, the talks are the best hope for peace in years and come as a result of a February pact between the Taliban and United States, allowing US forces to withdraw in exchange for Taliban promises on terrorism.
But the militant group has refused to agree to a cease-fire and the war grinds on.
In recent months, the Taliban has pledged to respect women’s rights under sharia but many educated women who have come of age since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 for harboring Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin laden have doubts.
During the hearing, Democrats asked Khalilzad about the possibility that after 20 years of war, billions of dollars and thousands of deaths, the withdrawal of US forces could end education for Afghan girls.
“I want to assure the Afghan women that we will be with them,” Khalilzad said.
Since the spotlight faded from the lavish September 12 opening ceremony for the talks in Qatar, the two sides have only confirmed that they are diametrically opposed on virtually every issue.
“While we have reasons to be hopeful, we are under no illusions about the challenges ahead. ... We expect that there will be setbacks and obstacles,” Khalilzad said.
The United States is expected to reduce troop levels to 4,000 to 5,000 in the coming months and will look at further reductions based on conditions.
David Helvey, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told the subcommittee hearing the Pentagon was carrying out “prudent planning” to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021 if conditions were met.
He added that for now Defense Secretary Mark Esper had not issued any orders to go below 4,000 troops.
Hopeful Afghan peace talks will yield Islamabad-Kabul agreement against violence — Khalilzad
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Hopeful Afghan peace talks will yield Islamabad-Kabul agreement against violence — Khalilzad
- US special representative on Afghan peace says Washington looking forward to Pak-Afghan agreement that neither side’s territory would be used to attack the other
- Afghan government and Taliban remain divided on even basic issues 10 days into peace talks meant to end two decades of war
Pakistan’s finance chief heads to Riyadh to highlight climate funding priorities at global summit
- Muhammad Aurangzeb will join high-level talks on securing capital for climate adaptation and resilience
- The visit includes bilateral meetings with senior Saudi officials to deepen bilateral economic cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb left for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend the Global Development Finance Conference in Riyadh, said an official statement, where he will present Islamabad’s perspective on climate adaptation and financing.
Pakistan is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, grappling with recurrent floods, heatwaves and rising adaptation costs that far exceed its domestic resources.
Last month, while addressing COP30 in Brazil via video link, Aurangzeb urged reforms to global climate-finance mechanisms, arguing the Green Climate Fund was mired in “bureaucracy” and the Loss and Damage Fund had made little progress four years after its launch.
The finance division said the minister had departed for Riyadh to take part in the conference, a three-day gathering focused on new development-finance models.
“During the conference, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb will participate in a high-level session on climate adaptation and resilience, where he will join global leaders in discussing how developing countries can secure the capital needed to address climate vulnerabilities,” the statement said.
“His participation will highlight Pakistan’s priorities in climate finance and the government’s efforts to strengthen economic resilience in the face of global environmental challenges,” it added.
Aurangzeb is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with senior Saudi officials, including leadership of the National Development Fund and the Ministry of Finance, to discuss development financing, investment opportunities and broader economic cooperation.
The statement said he will give interviews to international media outlets such as CNN and CGTN to outline Pakistan’s reform trajectory and development-finance needs.
The finance chief will additionally meet Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Riyadh to review ongoing economic diplomacy initiatives.
The Global Development Finance Conference, organized under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to bring together more than 100 speakers from over 120 international and regional organizations.
The conference is positioned as a key platform within Vision 2030 to accelerate innovative financing models and support countries seeking sustainable growth amid rising global climate and development pressures.
