Kabul: A delegation of the Afghan National Security Council has met with the Pakistani military in Bahrain to discuss the stalled peace process in Afghanistan ahead of the upcoming Moscow summit and the Turkish-hosted US conference, Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said on Sunday.
The Russia-brokered peace summit will take place this coming Thursday, with the participation of the Afghan government, the Taliban and senior Afghan officials. It will be followed by the talks in Turkey sometime next month.
“We had a meeting with the Pakistanis in Bahrain, we had military and intelligence chiefs, we talked about peace,” Mohib told reporters.
The official added that the National Security Council delegation was going to attend both events, in Russia and in Turkey, as it welcomed any initiatives that could bring an end to the protracted conflict between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Ordinary Afghans appear to share the optimism, hoping that joint international efforts could finally bring peace and stability to the war-torn country.
Samim Barakzai, a lecturer at Kabul University, told Sputnik that the key to the longed-for ceasefire in Afghanistan was to engage all parties to the conflict in dialogue.
“So far, only the Afghan government has been put under pressure, … the Taliban need to be put under pressure, and all parties to the conflict must be involved in the peace process,” Barakzai said.
Last February, the Taliban and the Afghan government reached a landmark agreement, mediated by the United States, paving the way for peace talks, which began in the Qatari capital of Doha on September 12, 2020. The Doha negotiations failed to put an end to the confrontation on the ground. On the contrary, Afghanistan has witnessed a spate of bomb attacks and clashes in recent months, with the military continuing to regularly conduct operations against Taliban operatives. (Sputnik)
Afghan security officials met with Pakistani counterparts ahead of Moscow, Turkish Summits
