Pakistan opposes preconditions for Afghan peace talks

A previous peace process last year was stopped after the Taliban announced that their founder, Mullah Omar, had been dead for two years, throwing the group into disarray and factional infighting.

The quadrilateral session will work out schedule and procedure for the talks between the Taliban and Afghan government.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which coincided with the start of a meeting in Pakistan aimed at getting a stalled peace process with the Taliban back on track, Reuters reported.

Though the Taliban were not invited to Monday’s talks, a senior Taliban official, who asked not to be identified fearing exposure and capture, told the AP that two Taliban delegates, now headquartered in Qatar, will meet “soon” with China’s representatives.

He added that no Taliban would be present at Monday’s meeting. The Taliban are split on whether to participate in any future talks.

Sartaj Aziz addressing the meeting today said the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad last month provided impetus for lasting peace in Afghanistan. “This we argue will be counterproductive”, he said.

“All four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict senseless violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region”, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry were joined by representative from the United States and a senior Chinese official.

The Taliban leaders have not yet officially responded to the quadrilateral approach. Pakistan says its influence over the Taliban is overrated.

Terms for the upcoming meeting were finalised last month during a visit to Kabul by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif, Faisal said. The offensive overthrew the Taliban, but the militants are still continuing their militancy across the country.

The Express Tribune reported that Taliban were not ready for talks with Kabul government as they believe that it was useless to hold peace parleys with “powerless” administration.

The group was set up previous year to facilitate the reconciliation in the war-torn country.

“Because the Taliban, maybe they think, if they do this kind of activity, they will be having more visibility and they can again show them as one of the main actor for the peace process, or the main side that Afghanistan should be considering them in the power”.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wants no part in giving the Taliban official recognition.

High-profile suicide attacks in the capital and significant territorial losses in Helmand province have underlined how far Afghanistan remains from peace without major Taliban factions on board.

“In the current situation it is not possible to bring peace”, he said.