MUSCAT: A delegation of Pakistan, led by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, reached Oman, Muscat on Sunday to participate in the four-nation talks on Afghanistan that begin on Sunday.
The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and US, will attempt to revive talks with the Taliban to bring a negotiated peace settlement in the war-torn country.
This will be the first meeting of the QCG after Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’s death in a US drone strike in Balochistan in May 2016.
The QCG held its first meeting in Islamabad on January 11, 2016, with the aim to revive the Afghan peace process.
Talking to Voice of America recently, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif seemed optimistic regarding the QCG meeting. “The quadrilateral arrangement will again be in operation. So, that is something we still hope will still work,” he remarked.
Amin Waqad, a close aide to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and a senior member of the High Peace Council (HPC), said, “HPC and government representatives will participate in the QCG meeting, and it is an important one because the Taliban representatives will be there. We will go with a clear plan.”
Sources said the foreign secretary will be travelling to Colombo, Sri Lanka following the QCG meeting.
Earlier, Tehmina Janjua and Dr Mohammed Bin Awadh Al Hassan, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Oman, met for the 6th round of Pakistan-Oman bilateral political consultations in Muscat.
Bilateral political relations, as well as economic and trade cooperation at multilateral forums, were discussed.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the close fraternal relations and progress made thus far. This included the sustained and rising trajectory of interaction between political and parliamentary leaderships during 2016-17, exchange of visits between the foreign ministers and chairmen of upper houses as well as participation in various international conferences.
It was also agreed to enhance business-to-business interaction and convening the next session of Joint Economic Commission (JEC) during the first quarter of 2018.
The foreign secretary briefed her counterpart on relations with neighbouring countries, including on the situation of human rights in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The occasion provided an opportunity to renew contacts and exchange of views on regional situation and working together for neighbourhoods and beyond.
