― Reuters picISLAMABAD: Pakistan today said Afghan and Taliban representatives had agreed to meet again after landmark through-the-night talks aimed at ending the militants’ 13-year insurgency.
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Representatives from the United States and China also attended the talks as observers, Afghan and Pakistani officials said.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, by his spokesperson, Ban welcomed the direct talks between Afghan Government and the Taliban, which were held in Islamabad on July 7.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured Afghan leaders that Pakistan made it “clear to the Afghan Taliban that they could either join the peace process or face the consequences”, a senior Afghan official who was present for one such conversation said in May. They recognized for taking strong measures for confidence building among all stakeholders. China holds that this meeting is conducive to promoting peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
But there are still signs of divisions within the Taliban, and some question whether the representatives at the talks had blanket authorization, reports Reuters.
Just ahead of the talks in Pakistan, the Taliban launched two suicide attacks in Kabul on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding three.
The Taliban has reportedly targeted North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul in a suicide auto bombing, carried out as part of the group’s stepped-up attacks during the annual summer offensive.
“The government of Pakistan expresses its profound gratitude to the government of Afghanistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan for their willingness to work towards bringing lasting peace in Afghanistan“.
Pakistan, Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour, has historically supported the Tailban and many Afghans accuse it of continuing to do so in the hope of maintaining influence in the country.
Participants agreed to continue talks after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in about two weeks.
The talks came after several informal contacts between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives, most recently in Qatar and Norway.
The president has sought Pakistan’s help in bringing the Taliban to negotiations, since it is a traditional ally of the group.
Mistrust of the Pakistanis extends to the Taliban as well, with some elements accusing Islamabad of trying to turn the peace process to its own advantage.
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has pushed for the peace process and has encouraged closer ties with neighbouring Pakistan in a bid to achieve this goal, first announced the talks on Tuesday. In this context, Thomas Ruttig, co-director and co-founder of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, warned of a rivalry between those Taliban in favor and those against engaging in negotiations with president Ghani’s government.
