Pakistani premier in Afghanistan to hold talks on Taliban
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived in Afghanistan to hold talks on ways to reinforce cooperation between the two neighbors in the battle against Taliban militants on both sides of the border.
Accompanied by a high-ranking military and diplomatic delegation, Sharif arrived in the Afghan capital city of Kabul on Tuesday.
"Sharif is accompanied by his national security adviser Sartaj Aziz and army chief Raheel Sharif," an unnamed Afghan official said, adding that possible negotiations with the Taliban would be a vital issue during Sharif’s meeting with Afghan officials.
The Pakistani premier is scheduled to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.
Tuesday's visit came at the invitation of Ghani, whose third foreign trip was to the Pakistani capital city of Islamabad last November.
The Afghan government has pursued negotiations with the Taliban militants, more than one year after former Afghan President Hamid Karzai launched the peace process.
Pakistani media reports indicate that Pakistani negotiators have been persuading the Taliban leadership in recent months to embark on peace talks with the US and the Afghan governments.
Afghanistan’s peace talks with the Taliban failed last year after the militants said they would not hold direct talks with Kabul.
Ghani asked the Taliban to join the peace process and “enter Afghan dialogue” during the Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan, which was held in China in October last year.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but insecurity still remains in some provinces. The violence has also spilled over into Pakistan.
The US-led combat mission in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. However, at least 13,500 foreign forces, mainly from the United States, have remained in the country in what Washington calls a support mission.
MSM/KA/HMV
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