Pakistan-hosted Afghan peace conference postponed, MOFA confirms

ISLAMABAD: The foreign office has Friday confirmed the Afghan peace conference scheduled to be held in Islamabad from 17-19 July 2021 “has been postponed until after Eid Al-Adha”, ARY News reported.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement released earlier today said, “The new dates of the said Conference will be announced later.”

A MOFA source confirmed to ARY News that the postponement is due to President Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani’s insistence who said he needed time to prepare for it so the government delegate is well equipped to present their side.

Privy to the Afghan peace and regional affairs, analyst Ejaz Awan said a war that has been going on for 40 years cannot be expected to come to a halt overnight and that President Ghani is an important stakeholder in the matter.

“Vote percentage notwithstanding, he won the polls and won Afghan mandate,” Awan said. He added that Ghani did not refuse the talks but only sought time.

READ: PM Imran Khan, President Ghani discuss Afghan peace process

Earlier today, delegation-level talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday were held on the sidelines of the “Central and South Asia 2021: Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities” Conference in Tashkent.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani led his delegation in the talks. Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz also attended the talks.

The current situation of Afghanistan came under discussion between both leaders. Speaking on the occasion, the premier expressed disappointment over the allegations against Pakistan from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.