MONITORING (SW) – On his latest tour of shuttle diplomacy, the top US peace negotiator has met leaders of Pakistan Army as well as the Taliban in connection with the Afghan peace process.
The Taliban’s Qatar office spokesman, Suhail Shaheen said in a series of tweets that Zalmay Khalilzad, US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, met Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar, deputy leader of the Taliban in Doha on Sunday.
“The Political Deputy- Amir, IEA (Taliban) and Head of the Political Office, Mullah Bradar Akhund and his delegation met Dr. Khalilzad, Gen. Miller and their delegation in Doha today. Both sides talked about speedy release of the prisoners and commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations, Dr. Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar and his delegation also participated in the meeting”, he tweeted.
Separately, the public relations wing of Pakistan Army, ISPR, said in a statement that the US envoy on Sunday held talks with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the next steps for advancing the peace process.
Khalilzad, who was accompanied by senior American officials, met army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was assisted by Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed and other senior security personnel.
An official handout issued by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that during the meeting matters of “mutual interest, overall security situation including Afghan refugees issue and Afghan reconciliation process and Pak-Afghan border management” were discussed.
“Both shared steps taken in this regard and agreed to continue working towards mutually agreed goals,” the statement concluded.
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