Afghan government on Thursday criticized recent meeting between Pakistani officials and a Taliban delegation in Islamabad, saying such meetings will not help peace process in Afghanistan.
A 12-member Taliban delegation led by its deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar travelled from Qatar to Islamabad, where it was received by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other officials.
Pakistan was fourth country in the region to be visited by the Taliban after US President Donald Trump declared months of talks with the militant group dead last month.
“Such meetings cannot not help peace process,” Afghan president’s spokesman Sediq Sediqi said. “Peace process will pay off only when it is owned and led by the Afghan government.”
“Hosting a group which continues to commit violence goes against all the principles of relations between countries,” Sediqi said.
The Taliban have so far refused to hold talks with the Afghan government. They had held nine rounds of talks with the US before Trump declared them dead citing an attack in Kabul.
Earlier, the Afghan government had expressed concern regarding the draft agreement between the US and the Taliban.
Sediqi said that the Taliban are not committed to make peace.
He said that the Afghan government repeatedly asked Pakistan to eliminate Taliban’s safe havens in their soil and play positive role in regional peace.
He said that Pakistan had not taken any major practical step for regional peace.
Sediqi said that Pakistan could play role for Afghanistan security by eliminating Taliban safe havens and ending support for the group.
