ISLAMABAD: Taliban negotiators will meet their United States (US) counterparts on February 18 in Islamabad as part of accelerating efforts to end more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday.
The talks come a week ahead of previously scheduled negotiations between the two sides in Qatar on February 25.
Mujahid said in a statement that the Qatar talks would still take place.
The Taliban delegation would also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan “to hold comprehensive discussions about Pak-Afghan relations and issues pertaining to Afghan refugees and Afghan businessmen” in a first such meeting between the insurgent group and a top Pakistani leader since 2001.
PM Khan has publicly taken credit for facilitating the peace talks and assured the nation that Pakistan “will do everything within its power” to further the Afghan peace process.
“Pakistan has helped in the dialogue between Taliban and the US in Abu Dhabi. Let us pray that this leads to peace and ends almost three decades of suffering of the brave Afghan people,” Khan said.
A US team led by US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad has been negotiating with the Taliban representative to put an end to the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad had earlier requested that Pakistan should play its role to make the dialogue successful. Diplomatic sources had informed that Pakistan decided to invite the Afghan Taliban to come to Islamabad, hoping that their representatives would travel to the capital city.