Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

Pak Won’t Support Afghan Talks Unless they’re Kabul Backed: Khar

Pak Won’t Support Afghan Talks Unless they’re Kabul Backed: Khar

KABUL - Pakistan will not support a US-driven initiative to start peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar until the Afghan government fully backs them, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.
She said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai was still unclear whether his government really wanted to negotiate with the Taliban in Qatar.
The Taliban have recently shown their readiness to negotiate with the US and its western allies in Qatar, and have sent some of their officials there.

When media reports disclosed the establishment of a Taliban liaison office in Qatar, Mr Karzai immediately recalled his ambassador from the state. He later agreed to the office.
There were also reports about talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Saudi Arabia. President Karzai also said there had been secret three way talks between the Taliban, the Afghan government and the US. The Taliban denied such talks.

"We are waiting for him to determine the course of action of his government and once that is done, we will want to be seen to be fully supporting it," Ms Khar said. "The messages from Kabul are a bit confusing. At first they say they are supporting it but they say they are recalling their ambassador because they think they have not been taken into confidence."

She also stressed that supporting an unclear process would be dangerous for her country.

"For us, the dangers of being supportive of something where there is not enough clarity on whether the Afghan government is fully behind it, fully owns it, fully drives it, are too high. The stakes are far too high," she added.
The Afghan government should have a clear vision about peace talks with Taliban and should share its plans with the world, she told the newspaper.

Ms Khar insisted that she believes Pakistani officials are unaware of Mullah Omar's whereabouts.

"I am not an authority on where Mullah Omar is, but I do know that Pakistani authorities do not know where Mullah Omar is. I know that much," she said. "Pakistan's view is that everything the Afghans ask us which is doable, which is realistic, which is based on facts, we will do, but it has to be based on facts."

In a joint press conference with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, Ms Khar said relations between Britain and Pakistan were very deep, long term and strategic.
Ms Khar is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week in London to talk about the strained situation between the two countries.