Afghanistan Tells Pakistan to Eliminate Terror Hideouts Instead of Hosting Taliban

Reacting to the Taliban’s Pakistan visit, Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi on Thursday called on Islamabad to eliminate terrorist’s safe heavens in its soil instead of hosting the leaders of the Taliban militant group.

A 12-member delegation of Taliban led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Thursday.

Footage released on social media shows a warm welcome by Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmoud Qurishi and the Chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Service to the Taliban leaders.

The U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is also in Islamabad and holding talks with Pakistani officials.

Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Mr. Sediqqi said that Taliban’s travel to Islamabad and their meetings with Pakistani officials will not help the Afghan peace process.

However, he stressed that only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process will have a result.

“Unfortunately, Taliban are still continuing their violence. They carried out attacks during the elections and threatened people and still believes on violence. We don’t see Taliban’s commitment for peace yet,” Sediqqi said.

In addition, Ghani’s spokesman emphasized that huge hideouts of terrorist groups are still active in Pakistan and they are threatening the security of Afghanistan and the region.

“Hosting a group that still prefers violence is against all principles and relations between the two countries,” Sediqqi further said.

On the other hand, the Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi wrote on twitter that Afghanistan “welcome the efforts of all the countries in the region and the world aimed at peace in Afghanistan”.