Quadrilateral meeting to discuss Afghan peace process in Islamabad today

The day-long meeting, led by Pakistani and Afghan Foreign Ministry officials and US and Chinese special envoys, broke up with a pledge to convene next Monday in Kabul.

Secondly, reconciliation process should include sequencing actions and measures appropriately to pave the way for direct talks with the Taliban, Aziz said.

But he cautioned: “The Taliban have not yet showed their willingness to talk”.

Monday’s meeting comes shortly after reports suggested that Pakistan would present the Afghan government with a list of Taliban willing to reenter negotiations.

The Foreign Office sources said they hope it will be the first step towards resuming stalled negotiations.

The Afghan government would have to come up with an offer as to how many seats in the parliament as well as in the cabinet could be offered to the Taliban.

Pakistan had brokered a rare face-to-face meeting between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives in July last year, The initiative, officially called Murree Peace Process, however, fell apart after news emerged that Taliban’s long-time leader Mullah Omar had died two years ago.

Aziz, however, said that it was important to undertake a realistic assessment of the opportunities as well as anticipated obstacles in the process and then develop clarity on how to proceed further.

Imtiaz Gul, whose Center for Research and Security Studies has delved deeply into the Afghan conflict and Pakistan’s decades-old involvement, says Pakistan has significant leverage with the Taliban, led by Omar’s replacement Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.

The Taliban have not officially commented on the four-nation talks. The number of civilians killed is expected to have surpassed the record high of more than 3180 Afghan civilians killed in 2014, the United Nations said, which brought the number killed since 2009 to more than 17,000. The Taliban blew up the statues, ignoring the roars of dissent including from Pakistan.

Pakistan’s capital Islamabad is set to host the first ever round of four-way talks aimed at reviving dialogue between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban, even as the insurgents push ahead with an unprecedented winter surge.

Faisal said Pakistan has agreed to cut off financial support to Taliban fighters based in Pakistani cities, including Quetta and Peshawar.

Pakistan, however, maintains its influence over the Taliban is overrated. Some analysts hope the added presence of China and the United States may help overcome mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, though Taliban representatives themselves are not due to attend and it remains unclear when they will return to the negotiating table.

An Afghan delegate told Pakistan Today that they were “shocked” by Aziz’s statement calling for no military action against the “irreconcilable groups” in Afghanistan.

Miller reported from Kabul.