US envoy Khalilzad to arrive in Pakistan on two-day visit today

ISLAMABAD: United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad will arrive in Pakistan on a two-day official visit on Thursday (today), said diplomatic sources.

The sources said that Zalmay Khalilzad, during his two-day stay, will hold meetings with Pakistan’s top military and civil leadership and would share new development on Afghan peace process.

The sources said that the US envoy would take guideline on Afghan peace process from the Pakistani officials. Zalmay Khalilzad will visit the Foreign Office today and hold a consultative meeting with the Pakistani officials, where he would be apprised about Pakistan’s concerns.

The US envoy will hold meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday. It is pertinent to mention here that Zalmay Khalilzad’s meeting with the Prime Minister Imran Khan was not scheduled so far.

Earlier, US Special Represetative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on January 19, had said the United States was ready to address “legitimate concerns of all Afghan sides” as it wanted peace in the war-ravaged country.

Zalmay Khalilzad had concluded the confusion on America’s fighting Afghan Taliban and at the same time holding peace talks with them by saying, “I see that many are concerned that the United States is willing to both talk and fight. Let me be clear: the US wants peace.”