Taliban did not meet PM Imran Khan, clarifies Firdous Awan
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said the Taliban delegation did not meet Prime Minister Imran Khan during their recent visit to Pakistan, and the reports published and broadcasted in this regard were baseless.
In a tweet, she said the talks of a delegation of Taliban Political Commission with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Thursday was a positive sign for Afghan reconciliatory process.
“This process is evident of the fact that Pakistan has always played an important role to create a favorable environment for regional and global peace,” she said.
Also Read: Pakistan, Taliban lay stress on early resumption of Afghan peace talks
The special assistant said an Afghan Taliban delegation’s meeting with the foreign minister was part of this process, and it would hopefully yield positive results.
On Oct 3, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban had agreed on the need for earliest resumption of the Afghan peace process.
The understanding came at a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and a delegation of the Taliban Political Commission (TPC) from Doha led by its head Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Islamabad. The delegation included senior members of the TPC.
The foreign minister had reiterated Pakistan’s commitment and continued strong support for all efforts regarding the peace process.
It was emphasized that reduction of violence by all parties to the conflict was necessary to provide an enabling environment for resumption of the peace process at an early date.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi had noted that while the people of both Afghanistan and Pakistan had a shared history, geography and culture, Islam remained the strongest bond between the two brotherly countries.
He had added that the people of both the countries had also suffered tremendously due to 40 years long conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
