ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is hopeful that the consultation by regional countries in Russia on Afghanistan scheduled for today will help evolve consensus for restoration of peace and reconciliation in the war-shattered nation.
Senior diplomats from India, Iran, China, the US and some other regional countries will attend the Moscow-format consultations.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has decided to send a delegation of the government-sponsored High Peace Council to the meeting.
Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Faisal said additional secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting.”Role of Afghanistan’s neighbours would be very important in such a process. In our view, peace and reconciliation process supported by Afghanistan’s neighbours and important regional countries has more chances of success,” he told a weekly briefing.He hoped the meeting would contribute to developing a regional consensus in support of Afghan peace process, adding that Pakistan has always maintained that the most viable solution to the conflict lies is in an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
The Moscow-format consultations were earlier scheduled for September 4 but postponed after Afghan government refused to attend on the plea that all meetings on Afghanistan should be Afghan-led. The US had also announced to stay away from the September meeting. However, US State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Palladino has said the US embassy in Moscow will represent the country in today’s consultations.
Taliban say their representatives will not hold any talks with the Afghan delegation but will explain the policy of the Islamic Emirate about ending the occupation of Afghanistan to the participants.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the conference is not about holding negotiations with any party whatsoever, rather it is about finding a peaceful solution to the issue.”There will not be any sort of negotiations taking place with the delegation of the Kabul administration. This conference will not be chaired by the Kabul administration,” he said in a statement, adding that the international status of the Taliban will be strengthened even further with participation in the meeting. “Such diplomatic efforts of the Taliban showcase the active, clear and independent diplomacy and policy of the movement in the political field,” he said, adding that a five-man delegation of the Taliban comprising Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, Maulavi Salam Hanafi, Maulavi Shahabuddin Delawar, Maulavi Zia-ur-Rahman Madani and Muhammad Sohail Shaheen will partake in the conference.
Russia launched the Moscow-format consultations in 2017 as part of its diplomatic efforts to press for political solution to the Afghan problem.Diplomatic sources had earlier told Daily Times that there was no specific agenda and all participants would be requested to share their views about political solution to the conflict.
Russia had been active for peace in Afghanistan since it hosted a trilateral meeting of Pakistan, China and Russia in December 2016, followed by another meeting attended by Afghanistan, India and Iran.
To a question, the Foreign Office spokesman said the release of Taliban’s former deputy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was facilitated by Pakistan at the US request in order to move forward on the shared objective of pursuing a political settlement in Afghanistan.”The decision was taken following the visit of US Special Envoy on Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad to the region and his meetings with Taliban representatives in Doha,” he said.The Taliban leader was released to provide impetus to the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to pursue reconciliatory efforts to expedite and facilitate the process to its fullest ability.
Published in Daily Times, November 9th 2018.
