Imran pledges help on Afghan war
PM reiterates Pak’s ‘abiding interest’ for Afghan peace in meeting with Khalilzad; ‘US leadership looks forward to working with Islamabad for achieving political settlement’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday and pledged his help to ind A political settlement to THE long-running war In NEIGHBOURING Afghanistan.
Imran and Khalilzad, who is tasked with inding A resolution to THE AFghan war, held talks on Wednesday in Islamabad.
The meeting comes days after PRESIDENT Donald Trump REACHED out to Imran Khan, seeking his cooperation In ENDING THE 17-year-old Conlict.
According to a statement, Imran “reiterated Pakistan’s abiding interest in achieving peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan through a political settlement.”
The Pakistani statement quoted Khalilzad as saying that the US leadership looked forward to working with Pakistan in furthering the shared goal of peace.
Earlier Foreign Minister Shah MEHMOOD QURESHI Assured KHALILZAD that Pakistan would back a negotiated settlement with the Taliban to end the long war in Afghanistan, after President Donald Trump personally ASKED For Islamabad’s help.
KHALILZAD, An AFGHAN-BORN veteran US diplomat who served as George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, was named by the Trump administration three months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace in Afghanistan.
His visit to Pakistan came a day AFTER PAKISTANI oficials Conirmed that Trump had written to Imran seeking assistance in moving peace talks forward. Imran said Pakistan would do whatever possible to help Washington negotiate with the Taliban.
Khalilzad arrived on Tuesday in ISLAMABAD AND CALLED on QURESHI, A FOREIGN OFICE statement SAID. It SAID the envoy reiterated Trump’s desire to seek Pakistan’s cooperation for peace in Afghanistan.
“The foreign minister assured the US side of Pakistan’s steadfast support for a negotiated settlement,” it said.
In his letter to Imran, Trump offered to renew the strained relationship, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Monday. The overture to Khan came after an exchange of barbed tweets between him and Trump last month, and represents a sea change from Trump’s frequently harsh rhetoric towards Pakistan.
It could also add to speculation in the region that the United States is seeking to withdraw from Afghanistan.
The United States, which had more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at its peak in former President Barack OBAMA’S irst term, withdrew most of them in 2014 but still keeps around 8,000 there aiding the Afghan security forces and hunting militants.
Trump wants to bring to a close the Conlict BETWEEN AFGHAN security Forces and the Taliban, who were removed from power with the aid of American bombing after the Sept.11, 2001 attacks on the United States, and have fought ever since to reestablish their version of strict Islamic law.
US oficials HAVE long BEEN pushing Pakistan to lean on Taliban leaders, who Washington says are based inside Pakistan, to bring them to the negotiating table. The United States and Afghanistan’s government have long accused Pakistan of covertly sheltering Taliban leaders, which Islamabad vehemently denies.
Khalilzad said last month said he hoped to reach a settlement by April 2019 to end the war. But Afghan Taliban militants last month rejected THE proposed target AND SAID A THREEDAY MEETING In QATAR BETWEEN THEIR leaders and Khalilzad, to pave the way for peace talks, had ended with no agreement.