KABUL - US president-elect Joe Biden is likely to push for seeking a ceasefire as well as guarantees from the Taliban on human rights, something the Democrats have always pushed for, a media report said on Monday.
Observers believe that Biden’s push for more concessions is likely to put additional pressure on Pakistan, according to the Express Tribune.
The reason for this is that Pakistan has been instrumental in first brokering the talks between the Afghan Taliban and the US leading to the intra-Afghan talks.
The Afghan government and the US have sought comprehensive ceasefire or at least reduction in violence. However the Taliban refused to accept the demand, insisting that the ceasefire would be part of the overall agreement to be reached through intra-Afghan talks.
The intra-Afghan dialogue has yet to make any serious headway as the two sides have yet to agree on the rules of engagement and the agenda of the talks.
The Biden foreign policy team had been in contact with concerned authorities in Pakistan in the run-up to the US presidential elections
The Biden team was given a briefing by Pakistani authorities about the peace process and the way forward.
The sense these officials got from the interactions is that the Biden administration, unlike Trump, may review the February 29 US-Taliban deal by seeking more concessions from the Taliban. (Pajhwok)