US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi yesterday, August 07, read a statement issued by US Department of State. The two sides talked about the importance of US-Pakistan cooperation on the Afghan peace process, according to the statement.
The conversation between the US Secretary of State and Pakistan Foreign Minister comes at a time when the Afghan government and Taliban group are preparing for a US-facilitated peace talks which will be held in Doha, the Qatari capital, in coming months.
In a tweet posted yesterday, Secretary Pompeo said that he had a productive call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi and looks forward to advancing shared goals and increasing partnership in the Afghan peace process.
Pakistan has a key role in regional stability.
The Afghan government, however, has long been accusing the Pakistani establishment of harboring, training and funding the Taliban insurgency, in particular Taliban’s Haqqani network, an accusation Islamabad has denied, calling it baseless.
Under an urgent demand by Washington, the Pakistani leaders have expressed support and hope for Afghan peace process. At various diplomatic talks, the Pakistani civilian leaders and military generals have vowed support for the Afghan reconciliation process.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who was a vocal critic of Pakistan’s policy of harboring the Afghan insurgency, is on frequent visit between Islamabad and Doha to persuade the Pakistani leaders to use clout and coax Taliban leaders to join the negotiation table.
