US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday met Pakistani officials and discussed prospects of Afghan peace with them.
Khalilzad first held delegation level talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua at the Foreign Ministry, according to a Tweet by Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal.
The delegations from both sides comprised of security, defense and diplomatic officials.
Later, ambassador Khalilzad met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi agreed on future cooperation.
During the meeting with the US envoy, Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan welcomes the US efforts for establishing peace in Afghanistan.
The foreign minister further added that Pakistan will continue playing its role to find a political solution to the Afghan issue.
Khalilzad and Foreign Minister Qureshi had earlier met in New York where the latter had told the United States’ new adviser on Kabul that Pakistan believes peace in Afghanistan is directly and positively related to long-lasting stability in Pakistan.
Qureshi had also reiterated Pakistan’s pledge for supporting peace in Afghanistan, to which Khalilzad responded by saying he, too, wishes to work with Islamabad for the joint goal of stability.
This comes amid the US new push for political settlement of the country’s longest war in Afghanistan.
Before meeting Pakistani officials, Khalilizad conferred prospects of peace with the Taliban group with Afghan government leaders and some influential political figures in Kabul. He called on both the government and the Taliban to form authoritative delegations for peace negotiations.
