Islamabad: Taliban leaders and Afghan government negotiators are engaged in secret talks in the Pakistani capital as part of the peace and reconciliation process in order to end more than a decade of bloodshed.
The talks come after Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had said last month that the Afghan government representatives and the Taliban were expected to meet in a week’s time.
The talks follow a series of encounters this year between current or former Taliban figures and Afghan officials in Qatar, Norway and China, which the insurgents later played down or disavowed. But the meeting in Islamabad has an aura of greater significance because of its location, as well as the role Pakistani officials were expected to have as interlocutors.
The Afghan government is being led in the talks by Deputy Foreign Minister Hikmat Khalil Karzai while the Afghan Taliban side includes former Deputy Foreign Minister Mullah Jalil and senior leader Qari Din Muhammad.
However, the Afghan Taliban spokesperson denied having any knowledge of the talks in Islamabad. “I do not have any information and will share if there is any,†Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Taliban had decided to distance themselves from the peace talks last month as well after Aziz confirmed that negotiations were being facilitated.
(With inputs from PTI)