The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad will arrive here today (Friday) after a delay of one day, sources said. Diplomatic sources said that due to his engagements in Kabul, the top US envoy could not come to Islamabad as per the schedule on Thursday for discussing the Afghan peace process with civil and military leadership.
They said that Khalilzad will arrive today (Friday) in the country and he is scheduled to hold talks at the Foreign Office with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, besides meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other senior military leadership.
Besides the regional situation and Afghan peace process, the sources said that the two sides would also exchange views on Pakistan-US bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest during the talks.
The special US envoy arrived in Afghan capital this week and held discussions with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other senior Afghan leadership including those influential not part of the Kabul administration, to advance the peace process with the Taliban and other warring groups.
After his meetings with the Afghan leaders Khalizad stated in his Twitter message that they also discussed the necessity of an 'exclusive' Afghan negotiating team for the peace talks.
"Met with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah, Former President Karzai, VP Sarwar Danish, Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqeq, Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Salahuddin Rabbani, HPC Chairman Abdul Karim Khalili," he said.
He further stated: "HPC [High Peace Council] Exec Sec & Special Envoy for Peace Umer Daudzai, COS Rahimi, Dr Fazel Fazely, and Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi to discuss the necessity of an inclusive Afghan negotiating team and the Doha meeting to respond to Afghan people's urgent demand for peace.
During a round of talks in Doha in January, the US and Taliban negotiators reached the basic framework of a potential peace deal in which the militants would prevent international terrorist groups from basing themselves in Afghanistan in exchange for a withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
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