Afghan Taliban delegation arrives in Islamabad to discuss peace process

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Afghan Taliban arrived in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the Afghanistan peace process with senior Pakistani officials.

The delegation reached the capital from Qatar at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliberate the Afghan peace process and other related issues.

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, had confirmed the other day that an Afghan Taliban delegation will be visiting Pakistan to discuss the way forward in the peace process.

In October last year, a 12-member delegation of the Afghan Taliban under the leadership of Mullah Baradar had held dialogues with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after reaching the Foreign Office prior to signing a historic peace deal with the US in February 2020.

The delegation had appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the region.

The United States (US) and the Afghan Taliban had signed the historic peace deal, marking an end to the 18-year-war in Afghanistan on February 29 this year.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had signed the agreement during a ceremony in Doha, Qatar which was witnessed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qatari Emir and representatives from fifty countries.