US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and General Austin Scott Miller, the Commander Resolute Support Mission Afghanistan, called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters on Monday.
According to a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest. The leaders also shed light on matters related to regional security and the ongoing Afghanistan reconciliation process. During the meeting, the visiting dignitaries greatly appreciated Pakistan’s role in the ongoing peace process.
Khalilzad has come to Pakistan for talks on new peace plans in his first visit to the country in the Biden administration. Khalilzad will also be meeting with civilian leadership in Islamabad, days after his visit to Qatar and Afghanistan where he has reportedly shared a US plan about a ‘participatory government’ as the Taliban and the Kabul’s team have not yet reached agreement on a future political system.
Taliban have not commented on the reported plan, however, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a veiled response to Khalilzad’s plan, told the parliament on Saturday that Afghanistan’s constitution will decide on the future administration, not plans made by ‘others’.
Khalilzad has held talks with the Taliban political representatives in Qatar and the Afghan leaders in Kabul over the past few days on options on how to push the fragile peace process forward as there has been no progress since the Taliban and an Afghan government team started negotiations on Sept 12. Days earlier, Khalilzad travelled to Kabul where, according to Afghan media, he shared the US proposals for an interim set-up and an international conference to discuss all issues relating to political settlement.
