Khalilzad visits Foreign Office to hold talks with Pakistani officials

ISLAMABAD: United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad visited the Foreign Office in Islamabad with a delegation on Friday for talks, ARY News reported.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua received the US representative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Khalilzad led US delegation will hold a meeting with the Pakistani officials to get aware about Pakistan’s concerns and the viewpoint with regard to the Afghan peace process.

The meeting will exchange views over the Afghan peace process and the overall situation in the region.

Zalmay Khalilzad, during his two-day stay in the country, will hold meetings with Pakistan’s top military and civil leadership and would share new developments in Afghanistan’s peace dialogue.

The US envoy will hold meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday (today).

Pakistan and the United States on Tuesday agreed to effectively pursue the Afghan reconciliation process ahead of US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s visit to Islamabad, hoping it would provide both sides an opportunity to build on the gains made hitherto.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asserted that Pakistan was facilitating the US-Taliban peace talks and assuring support for intra-Afghan dialogue in a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Both officials exchanged views on the current situation in the region, agreeing that de-escalation was important for peace and stability in South Asia.