Gen Bajwa, Zalmay Khalilzad discuss Afghan reconciliation process

By Admin -
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad meets Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday held meetings with Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and expressed his gratitude for Pakistan's facilitation of the Afghan peace process.

According to a press release issued by the foreign office, Khalilzad — who arrived in Pakistan today from Qatar — met with Qureshi at the Foreign Office in Islamabad. During their exchange, the US envoy praised Pakistan's efforts for lasting peace in Afghanistan while briefing the foreign minister about the most recent talks with the Taliban.

"The finalisation of a peace treaty between the Taliban and the US will pave the way for inter-Afghan dialogue, which would not only benefit Afghanistan but the whole region," Qureshi was quoted as saying.

During the meeting, Qureshi assured the US envoy that Pakistan will continue to support efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan. Both sides agreed to carry on their respective efforts in this regard.

In a separate meeting with Gen Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Khalilzad discussed "matters of mutual interest including overall regional security situation and ongoing Afghanistan Reconciliation Process", a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

According to the statement, the US envoy "thanked Pakistan for facilitating the process towards the mutual objective of peace in the region".

Khalilzad's visit comes after an escalation in tensions between the Taliban and the Afghan forces and as another round of talks kicked off, with the US envoy holding several meetings with the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Sources aware of the developments that took place during the talks in Doha said the Taliban had agreed internally to halt attacks against US forces and “reduce” assaults against Afghan government interests, but clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces have risen.

At least 29 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in Taliban attacks that followed air and ground assaults by government forces on the group over the last weekend.

Afghan forces and the Taliban also clashed on Tuesday when security personnel tried to access the site of a crashed US military plane in central Afghanistan.

US forces were later able to access the site and recover the remains of two personnel and what is believed to be the flight data recorder.

Earlier, the Afghan defence ministry said on Sunday that government forces had killed 51 Taliban fighters in assaults last weekend.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 11 dead, others injured after train catches fire near Rahim Yar Khan

By Admin -
Image
At least 11 passengers lost their lives and 30 others sustained burn injuries when three carriages of a Tezgam Express caught fire due to explosion in a gas stove, according to initial reports. Meanwhile, firefighters have initiated a rescue operation to extinguish the fire and other passengers are being evacuated from the train to safe places. The affected carriages are being separated from the train. The train, Tezgam, was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi, when a gas cylinder carried by a passenger exploded, leaving several dead and injured. The fire was caused by the explosion in a gas cylinder, confirmed the Pakistan Railways official. According to details, the passengers were cooking breakfast when the gas cylinder exploded. After the blast, the raging fire engulfed two other coaches as well. Fire fighters were still extinguishing the fire as per last reports.
Read more

Three soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Zarghoon

By -
Image
As many as three soldiers embraced martyrdom and one terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in Zarghun, the area of Balochistan on Saturday. According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an operation was launched in the area against suspected terrorists who attacked a security post. “Troops on the post retaliated readily to the fire raid thereby, pushing back the terrorists,” stated the military’s media wing. In the ensuing exchange of fire, three soldiers were martyred while one terrorist was also killed. The military identified the martyred soldiers as Sepoy Zaheer Ahmed, Sepoy Mudassir Shaheed and Lance Naik Abdul Qadeer. The ISPR stated that the post had recently been established to “check extortion efforts targeting coal mines in the area”. “Based on follow-up ISR effort, likely hideout of fleeing terrorists has been identified in nearby mountains and a deliberate blocking and sanitisation op...
Read more

Legal process to try May 9 planners, perpetrators under army act begins: COAS

By -
Image
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said that the legal process of trial against planners, instigators, abettors and perpetrators involved in the May 9 mayhem has commenced under Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act as per existing and established legal procedures derived from the Constitution. The army chief's statement came as he visited Jinnah House and an army installation in Lahore, which were blatantly attacked and vandalised by “politically motivated” rioters, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a handout. The COAS was also given a briefing on events of May 9 dubbed by the military as ‘Black Day’ — the day when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters ransacked and torched military installations across the country following the arrest of their leader Imran Khan in a graft case. Addressing the garrison officers and soldiers at Corps Headquarters, Gen Munir emphasised that any action aimed at widening a gulf between people and the milita...
Read more