Afghan Taliban announced on Tuesday that their political representatives have embarked on Pakistan’s visit for talks with Pakistani leaders that is expected to focus on the peace process.
Dr Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar, tweeted that the Taliban deputy leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will lead the delegation. He said the visit takes place at the official Pakistani invitation. He said Baradar will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The Taliban spokesman said that issues related to both countries, particularly problems of the refugees and traders will come under discussions.
There is no statement by Pakistani officials about the Taliban visit. The Taliban last visited Pakistan in August that was followed by the start of intra-Afghan negotiations. The Taliban spokesman announced the visit to Pakistan a day after the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visited Pakistan and discussed the reconciliation process with the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who assured that Pakistan will continue to play its positive role for peace and stability in the region. Khalilzad was accompanied by Commander Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller, according to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release. The Taliban will visit Pakistan after the Taliban and the Afghan government’s team announced a three-week break in the negotiations for internal consultations.
Both sides had announced that they have exchanged proposals about the agenda. Afghan media reported that the government negotiation team returned to Kabul on Tuesday after nearly three months of negotiations with the Taliban. The intra-Afghan negotiations were started on Sept. 12 to decide a future political roadmap. Both sides took two-and-half-month to agree to a 21-point code of conduct.
