Pakistan and Taliban call for resumption of US peace talks

The visit to Islamabad by the group's leaders coincided with that of Washington's special peace envoy for Afghanistan

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (R) greeting Taliban movement co-founder and political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (2-R) during their meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, 03 October Show more

Pakistan and the Taliban militant group called for a resumption of peace talks with the United States at a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday.

"Both sides agreed on the need for the earliest resumption of the peace process," the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement, following a meeting between Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and a Taliban delegation who are visiting the Pakistani capital this week.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison, was greeted with hugs and smiles by Mr Qureshi and spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, footage released by the ministry showed.

Afghan media reported Taliban representatives also met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Islamabad wants the talks to resume "to smooth the path for a durable, long-lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,'' Mr Qureshi was quoted as saying in the statement.

"War is not a solution to any problem. Talks are the only and positive solution to establish peace in Afghanistan," he continued.

Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishment - particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which Hameed heads - is widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan.

Islamabad denies the accusation.

Pakistan has helped facilitate talks between the Taliban and Washington in Qatar over the past year seeking an agreement paving the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents.

The visit by the Afghan Taliban leaders coincided with that of Washington's special peace envoy for Afghanistan, who was also in Islamabad on Thursday for "consultations" with Pakistani officials.

The Taliban's Doha-based spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said on Wednesday that the simultaneous visits to Pakistan were a "coincidence".

But when asked whether there was any possibility of the insurgents meeting Khalilzad, he replied: "Why not? It depends on the Americans."

The Taliban are still ready to sign the agreement which was hashed out between the two sides in Doha, he said.

"We stand for it. The Americans have backtracked and they will have to take the initiative."

Before coming to Pakistan, the Taliban delegation travelled to Russia, China and Iran, officials and a Taliban spokesman said.

The two sides were on the brink of a deal - with an announcement widely expected to be imminent - when US President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process "dead" last month, citing Taliban violence.