Kabul Reports Productive Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Talks Held in China

Kabul reports that productive Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks held in China have produced useful progress, the Afghan administration said. The talks are part of efforts to resolve a conflict that began last October.

The negotiations took place in Urumqi, in northwest China. They began last week with Chinese mediation.

Diplomatic exchanges

Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi described the discussions as useful. He met with Zhao Xing, China’s ambassador to Kabul.

Security and accusations

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring Islamist militants who have launched attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul rejects that claim and calls militancy a domestic Pakistani issue.

Fighting since October has killed scores on both sides, mainly on the Afghan side. Kabul said a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul last month killed more than 400 people. A reporter counted over 100 bodies at one hospital after the attack.

Pakistan rejected the Taliban’s account, saying the strike precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure.

Pakistan’s military stance

A meeting of Pakistani army commanders was chaired by Field Marshal Asim Munir. They resolved operations would continue until terrorist safe havens and the use of Afghan soil against Pakistan were decisively ended.

Regional efforts and context

China has stepped in as mediator while Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia face other regional pressures. Those states had previously tried to broker a peace deal in October but are now preoccupied by the U.S.-Iran war.

Both sides said they hope minor differences will not derail progress. Reporting for Filmogaz.com.