FM Qureshi to attend Pakistan-China-Afghanistan talks in Kabul

FM Qureshi to attend Pakistan-China-Afghanistan talks in Kabul

Islamabad (Agencies): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will attend a tripartite dialogue in Kabul involving Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.

The foreign minister will leave for Kabul on December 15 to represent Pakistan in the moot, which will be attended by his counterparts from China and Afghanistan.

Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will lead the respective delegations from their countries.

The moot will aim to advance the ongoing peace talks in Afghanistan which are aimed at catalysing an end to the 17-year invasion of the country by US troops.

Earlier the day, the United States Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad.

According to sources, Khalilzad will hold meetings with the top civil and military leadership of the country and will also take them into confidence over American negotiations with the Taliban.

The special envoy is visiting eight countries including Pakistan, which include Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium and the UAE.

On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that US President Donald Trump wrote him, seeking Pakistan’s assistance in the Afghan peace process.

In a meeting with senior journalists in the federal capital, PM Khan informed that he received a letter from the US president earlier today. In the letter, Trump has asked Pakistan to play its role in Afghan peace talks which are aimed at catalysing an end to the 17-year invasion of Afghanistan by US troops.

The PM further said that he had always believed only dialogue could bring stability in Afghanistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed Trump’s call for support. “President Trump has written a letter. He has asked for Pakistan’s cooperation to bring the Taliban into talks,” Chaudhry told a foreign news agency.