Pakistan to host 4-nation meeting on ending Afghan war

Besides Pakistan and the United States, the meeting will be attended by representatives from Afghanistan and China, spokesman John Kirby told a regular briefing at the State Department.

It is believed that the process of peace in Afghanistan will be testing for parties due to strong opposition within Afghanistan towards any peace with Taliban.

Kabul’s delegation will be led by deputy foreign minister Hekmat Karzai. The talks were agreed upon during a visit to Kabul last month by Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif.

In July, Islamabad hosted the first round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgents, which was followed by a number of reconciliation meetings, but stalled later.

Formed in the 1990s, the Taliban seeks to enforce Sharia law in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The discussions, however, were halted after the militants belatedly announced the death of their longtime leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani took part in a regional conference last month in Islamabad which called for the resumption of the Afghan-Taliban peace negotiations. The four countries that will convene a session include Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States of America (USA). Although the offensive overthrew Taliban, militants are still continuing their deadly attacks across the Asian state.