Top US diplomat arrives

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia of the US, Alice Wells arrived here on Wednesday for holding talks with Pakistani leadership on issues of mutual interest, especially on the peace process in Afghanistan. Diplomatic sources told Business Recorder that the visit of the top US diplomat is part of the continued engagement between Pakistan and the US with an aim to find a "common ground" for cooperation, especially with regard to the peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.
The sources said that Ambassador Wells will hold talks with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua at Foreign Office today, adding that she would also hold meetings with the military leadership to discuss the security issues and possibilities of cooperation.
The main agenda of the talks, according to the sources, would be Afghanistan where the US is urging Pakistan to use its influence on the Taliban to bring them to the peace talks recently offered by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. "As we strongly support the peace initiatives by the Afghan President, at the same time we have also conveyed both to the US and Afghan authorities that we don't have any strong influence on the Taliban anymore," the source said. He stated that Pakistan believes that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and the imbroglio can only be settled through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. "The peace process should be actively pursued to bring an end to the sufferings of the people of Afghanistan. Our position on the way forward in the Afghan conflict is clear. We believe that lasting peace in Afghanistan can be achieved only through an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue," he said, adding that the support of all actors, domestic and international, in Afghanistan would be important for the success of such a process.
Ambassador Wells, earlier, visited Pakistan on January 14-16, 2018 in which she underlined that the US seeks to move toward a new relationship with Pakistan, based on our mutual interest in realizing a stable and prosperous region. In her previous visit, she had urged the Pakistan to address the continuing alleged presence of Haqqani network and other terrorist groups within its territory.
However, Pakistan denied an organized presence of any terrorist organizations in the country and has been urging the US and Afghan government to take actions against the 'safe havens' and terrorists sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan.
Last week Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal expressed the government of Pakistan's satisfaction over the latest actions taken by the US forces in Afghanistan against the sanctuaries of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. However, he added that "more needs to be done" against the terrorists posing security threats to Pakistan and its people.