The Taliban will soon agree to an intra-Afghan dialogue on a political settlement to the long-running conflict, Pakistan hopes.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi noted: “The Afghan peace process has reached a promising but delicate stage.”
In an interview published on Saturday, she promised Pakistan would continue to help peace efforts in the hope that an intra-Afghan dialogue would commence soon.
“The international consensus is firmly in favor of this,” Lodhi told Dawn over the telephone from New York.
The seventh round of talks between the US and the Taliban is expected in Doha in early July. The Taliban has so far declined talking to the Afghan government until the US unveils a timeframe for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
On Friday, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has said: “As we prepare for the next round of talks with the Taliban, (it’s) important to remember we seek a comprehensive peace agreement,” NOT a withdrawal agreement.
