KABUL - The Taliban representatives who met with Afghan delegation in Pakistan have demanded the formation of a “United National Government” in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s The Express Tribune news agency quoted an official source close to the talks as saying that both the Taliban and Afghan government delegation in their recent face-to-face closed-doors talks exchanged lists of their demands.

The official said that Afghan delegation asked Taliban for an immediate ceasefire stating that negotiations and attacks cannot move together.

“The Afghan side told the Taliban representatives that negotiations and attacks cannot move together,” the source is quoted by The Express Tribune as saying.

The source has further said that the Taliban agreed to halt attacks and apply a ceasefire if Pakistan and China would guarantee that a “United National Government” would be formed.

According to the source, both sides will take the exchanged lists of demands to their respective leaderships before scheduling another round of peace talks.

The Express Tribune further states that the Afghan side agreed to include the third-tier leadership of Taliban in the government but Taliban representatives demanded the inclusion of their first-tier leadership.

The talks took place in Murree exurb of Islamabad on Tuesday in which beside Pakistan representatives from the United States and China also took part. (KP)