By Fidel Rahmati in The Khaama Press Online, December 29, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan says that it continues to engage in communications and negotiations with officials of the Taliban government regarding border and security issues.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated on Thursday in a press conference that Islamabad wants Afghanistan to be a hub of trade and energy connectivity in the region.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Islamabad has repeatedly expressed its desire for a peaceful, prosperous, stable, and connected Afghanistan to emerge as a connecting line for trade and energy in the region.
She stated: “As a supporter of regional efforts regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan has participated in meetings and negotiations to strengthen peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan remains committed to negotiating and engaging with Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban administration has recently stated that the Taliban regime wishes to resolve all issues with Islamabad through dialogue.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban, raised this matter in conversation with Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a Pakistani senator, on the sidelines of the Tehran conference recently held concerning Palestine in Iran.
Muttaqi also told the Pakistani senator that the Pakistani government had retreated from negotiations on the brink of an agreement with the TTP.
He stated that in the negotiations between the Pakistani government and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), both sides had come close to an agreement, but Islamabad withdrew from the negotiations.
According to this Pakistani official’s claim, Muttaqi said that after a series of meetings between Pakistani officials and the TTP leadership, most issues had been resolved, and both sides were close to an agreement.
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launches attacks in the country from Afghan soil. The Kabul administration has always denied this accusation.
https://www.khaama.com/islamabad-to-continue-talks-with-kabul-says-pakistans-foreign-ministry/
