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Khalilzad calls on Afghan leaders to start talks with Pakistan on peace issue
Zalmay Khalilzad, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has urged Afghan leaders and politicians to start “serious negotiations” with Pakistan in order to resolve the Afghan peace issue, sources said.
A number of Afghan politicians, who have recently met with Khalilzad, stated that Khalilzad has urged Afghanistan to send a high-ranking delegation to negotiate with Pakistan.
Pakistan has played a key role in the Afghan peace process since the beginning of US efforts to find a political settlement for long-term conflict in Afghanistan.
The country has repeatedly been accused of supporting terrorist groups and the Taliban inside Afghanistan. The country, however, denies the claims, stating peace and stability in Afghanistan are beneficial to Pakistan and that the country itself has been a victim of terrorism.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, last month stated: “Pakistan has paid a huge price because of the unstable environment in Afghanistan; we have paid a huge human price and we’ve paid a huge economic price that is why we feel a stable peaceful Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s national interest.”
Khalilzad’s appeal to Afghans comes during his visit to the region, which includes Kabul, Qatar and other regional states, and appears to be aimed at pushing all stakeholders to restart serious peace talks.
“It is too late for the US to show decisiveness to force the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. Khalilzad said he will go to Doha and will force the Taliban to hold serious negotiations,” said Abdul Basir Salangi, an Advisor for the High Council for National Reconciliation.
In a meeting with former president Hamid Karzai, the US delegation led by Khalilzad, called for serious negotiations to address issues with Pakistan and suggested they send a high-ranking delegation to Islamabad, sources said.
“Khalilzad has emphasized [the need for] political consensus, convening of a Loya Jirga and resolving issues with Pakistan,” Jafar Mahdawi, head of Hizb-e-Millat-e-Afghanistan said.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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