Zalmay Khalilzad-led US team meets Army Chief, diplomats in Pakistan

Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa told US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad during a meeting at the General Headquarters that Pakistan would continue “efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region”.

Ambassador Khalilzad, who was initially scheduled to visit Islamabad on Tuesday, was accompanied at the meeting by Commander Resolute Support Mission Gen Austin Scott Miller, senior US presidential aide Lisa Curtis and other officials.
The US special envoy and his delegation earlier held talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua at the Foreign Office.
Ms Janjua reiterated that Pakistan was facilitating the process for peace and stability in the region. She underlined that taking the Afghan peace process forward was a shared responsibility.
“Both sides agreed that ultimately the intra-Afghan dialogue would be vital to agree upon the contours of a future Afghan polity where Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous country and at peace with its neighbours,” an FO statement said.
Ambassador Khalilzad had on completion of his meetings in Kabul on Wednesday adopted a tough tone on the lingering stalemate in the process, suggesting that the US was ready for both fighting and talking.
Talking to journalists in Kabul, he stressed that the Taliban should negotiate with the Afghan government. “If Taliban want to talk, we can talk. If they want to fight, we can fight,” he added.
In a tweet, he later said that it was agreed in his meetings with Afghan leaders that “military pressure is essential while we prepare to engage in negotiations for peace”.
VoA, while quoting unnamed sources, reported that Pakistani authorities were making efforts to arrange a meeting between Ambassador Khalilzad and Taliban representatives to break the logjam. The VoA report said Pakistani officials appeared confident about bringing the two sides to the table.
However, the official sources cited in the report maintained that the responsibility for the “success or failure” of the fledgling Afghan peace process rested “exclusively” with the two negotiating sides.