US special representative for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday for a five-day visit.
Khalilzad’s visit to Pakistan is part of a larger two-week tour where he is also visiting China, India and Afghanistan for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan as talks between Taliban and US hit a snag earlier this month over a potential ceasefire in 2019.
Khalilzad will hold delegation level talks with civil and military leadership in Pakistan during his visit. This talks will be in reference to the Afghan peace process and the US Army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Days after demanding a change of venue for peace talks, the Afghan Taliban pulled out of the dialogue with the United States in Qatar, citing “agenda disagreement”, especially over the involvement of Afghan officials as well as a possible ceasefire and prisoner exchange, according to media reports.
The Taliban have refused to budge on their stance concerning the involvement of Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani in the peace process.
The Islamist outfit had made a similar demand earlier when it sought a change of venue from Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudis were pressuring them to include Ghani-led government in the talks.