Afghan-Taliban talks to resume soon: Pakistani official
Pakistan says the held up talks between the government of Afghanistan and Taliban militants are expected to resume soon.
On Monday, an unnamed high-ranking Pakistani official told Pakistan-based The Express Tribune news network that there would be some “breakthrough” in the revival of the stalled talks soon.
“We are optimistic that detractors will fail and the reconciliation process will resume soon,” the official was quoted as saying.
The remarks come ahead of a four-day visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the United States, where he is expected to talk with officials in Washington about efforts to restart dialogue between the Afghan government and Taliban.
Last week, US President Barack Obama said he would urge the Pakistani premier to convince the Taliban to continue the halted talks with Kabul.
Islamabad organized the first round of face-to-face negotiations between the two sides in Murree, north of the Pakistani capital, early July.
The second round of talks, which had been scheduled to take place later during the month, was postponed after the Taliban announced the death of the group’s leader Mullah Omar some two years late.
Over the past few months, tensions have been growing between Islamabad and Kabul over continued Taliban militancy.
Senior Afghan officials blame elements inside the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for supporting the Taliban militants, while Islamabad blames the Afghan government for giving shelter to militants on its side of the border.
Afghanistan has been threatened by attacks carried out by the Taliban since the militants were removed from power during a US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
Clashes have also been on the rise between pro-Taliban militants and Pakistani troops following growing attacks by the militants in the country.
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