Pakistan ready to facilitate Afghan Peace Talks for second time

Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister’s adviser on national security and foreign affairs says that Pakistan is ready to once again facilitate Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks process if Kabul wants.

Sartaj Aziz criticized anti-Pakistani campaigns in Kabul before traveling to neighboring Afghanistan to attend a regional conference on Afghanistan.

Kabul has recently changed to an anti-Pakistani environment; from President Ghani’s harsh speech against Pakistan to the announcement of Afghan religious scholars for jihad against Pakistan.

Aziz will be carrying two crucial messages for the Afghan leadership in his trip to Afghanistan, which include immediate end to the anti-Pakistan propaganda and resumption of peace talks with Afghan Taliban.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent weeks after Kabul publically accused Pakistan’s security establishment for orchestrating the recent terrorist attacks in the war-torn country.

A statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Office also confirmed Aziz is traveling to Kabul on Friday, where he will meet the Afghan leadership to discuss bilateral issues.

In the meantime, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah also said that Pakistan fully supports Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.

Pakistan hosted the first round of Taliban peace talks in July, but a planned second round was indefinitely postponed after the Afghan government announced that the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had died years earlier.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he will no more ask Pakistan to assist in the talks with the Taliban and his government will itself pursue the negotiations.