Stalled Afghan peace process: Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Russia meet in Moscow today

Senior officials of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Russia will meet in Moscow today (Friday) under quadrilateral peace mechanism to discuss the stalled Afghan peace process.

According to Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, Pakistan will participate in the talks and Safdar Hayat, Additional Secretary, Afghanistan and West Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will represent Pakistan in the talks.

He said that Pakistan has been a part of all efforts and processes to discuss and facilitate peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, adding that Pakistan's role is particularly noteworthy in crystallizing international convergence for a peaceful solution in Afghanistan.

Pakistan had participated in the first round of four-party talks in Beijing in July this year, he said, adding that the next round is being held in Moscow at an opportune moment, as it would provide an important opportunity to review the currently stalled peace process.

"Pakistan will continue its effort, through wholehearted support as its part of shared responsibility, for making the international peace effort successful in Afghanistan", the spokesperson added.

The Moscow meeting will be followed by another round of intra-Afghan dialogue in Beijing being hosted by China on October 28 and 29. A 25 member Afghan government delegation led by the country's vice president Sarwar Danish will participate in the dialogue in which Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will also participate.

According to Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for Taliban's political office in Doha, the Chinese government has extended an invitation to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to attend the conference being hosted by the Chinese government.

"The conference is part of a series of conferences held in Moscow and Qatar. All participants will take part in their individual capacities and express their personal views with regard to resolution of Afghan conflict", Suhail Shaheen said in a tweet in Pashto language.

Last month, US President Donald Trump declared talks between the US and the Taliban dead after he canceled a secret meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani following the death of an American solider in a car bomb attack in Kabul. Since then, the peace process is stalled.

A delegation of the Taliban Political Commission (TPC) in Doha led by Mullah Baradar visited Pakistan on October 2, 2019 and held talks with civil and military leadership on revival of the peace process. During the talks, the two sides agreed on the need for the earliest resumption of the peace process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019