Afghan Taliban delegation in Pakistan

A Taliban delegation from Afghanistan has arrived in Pakistan, raising speculation of resumption of peace talks that were cut earlier this year.

The militant group’s political bureau based in Qatar confirmed the delegation’s visit to Pakistan, but ruled out the resumption of the talks with Afghan officials.

"Our delegation has traveled from Qatar to Pakistan to discuss the problem of Afghan refugees and some schools recently closed there," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told media on Saturday.

"The reports that they are in Pakistan for peace talks is completely untrue," he said.

Afghanistan's Ambassador to Islamabad Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal acknowledged the Taliban delegation's visit but gave no further details.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry, however, said it was unaware that a Taliban delegation was in Pakistan.

"The Taliban should be banned from travelling to regional countries. But if they have done so to pursue peace, this should be explained," said Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shekib Mustakhni.

The Taliban visit to Pakistan follows a recent report revealing two secret meetings held between the militants and Afghan government officials.

The Guardian reported on October 18 that representatives of Taliban, including Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, the brother of slain Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been engaged in secret peace talks with Afghan government officials since September.

The British daily's report added that a top US diplomat was present at the meetings, but no representative from Pakistan had attended.

In the past, Pakistan hosted several rounds of peace talks to end the conflict in Afghanistan which yielded little success.

The peace talks reached a complete halt when a US drone killed former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in May.

The Taliban's newly-appointed leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, pledged that he would not enter into any peace talks with Kabul.

The latest meetings are considered to be the first discovered talks to have taken place since Akhundzada gained power.

Afghanistan's government has sent hundreds of troops to Lashkargah, the provincial capital of the southern province of Helmand, to take part in a “clearance operation” against Taliban.

Over the past months, Afghan security forces have been confronting attacks by Taliban in Helmand and Kunduz.

Taliban launched its campaign against the Afghan government in 1994 and managed to overthrow it in 1996. During the next five years, it held power only to be ousted following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Since then, the militant group has resorted to insurgency and has gone from strength to strength despite the presence of foreign troops. 

In spite of a previous pledge to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by the end of his presidency, US President Barack Obama announced last October that Washington would keep thousands of troops in the country after he leaves office in 2017.

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