Stay engaged in peace process, Qureshi tells Taliban

KABUL (Pajhwok): Violence could spike in Afghanistan if the peace process stays stalled, Pakistan fears, urging the Taliban to stay engaged.

With Kabul-Taliban negotiations deadlocked, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned Afghanistan might slide into civil war.

In an interview on Monday, Qureshi called for the Taliban to stay engaged in the peace push and rethink their decision to skip talks on Afghanistan’s future.

The rebel group announced its decision following President Joe Biden’s announcement to pull out all troops by Sept. 11 this year.

The withdrawal is later than the May 1 deadline set out by the Trump administration in the 2020 Doha peace pact with the Taliban.

Speaking to Reuters, Qureshi said about the Taliban: “They take their own decisions but we will do whatever we can to convince them that it is in their national interest to remain engage.”

He believed since the Taliban had succeeded to a large extent in their objective of international forces’ departure, they should demonstrate flexibility on the new withdrawal timeline.

Qureshi commented: “The troops will be out and a date has been given and the process starts on the 1st of May and goes on until the 11th of September. So there is a definite time frame.”

mud