Washington: The stakeholders involved in the Afghan peace process should refrain from the temptation for setting "unrealistic" timelines for an early withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan as it would be "unwise" to do so, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Khan said that all partners in the Afghan peace process should "resist the temptation" for setting early timelines and guard against those actors who wish to see instability in Afghanistan for their own geopolitical interest.
"A hasty international withdrawal from Afghanistan would be unwise. We should also guard against regional spoilers who are not invested in peace and see instability in Afghanistan as advantageous for their own geopolitical ends," he wrote in the US daily.
This statement in the backdrop of a meeting between delegations from the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha (Qatar) on September 12 for the resumption of negotiations, toward a political settlement in Afghanistan.
Talking about the ongoing talks, Khan said that intra-Afghan negotiations will require patience and compromise from all sides. He said that "a bloodless deadlock on the negotiating table is infinitely better than a bloody stalemate on the battlefield." His statement comes after the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad recently in an interview said that the Taliban would not agree to a comprehensive ceasefire until there is a political settlement.
Amid continues attack by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Khalilzad had said that Washington is ready to work with the Afghan government and the terrorist group.
Afghan official Abdullah in Pakistan
Meanwhile, senior Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah arrived in Pakistan on Monday for meetings in a country seen as vital to the success of Afghan talks aimed at ending decades of war. During his three-day visit to Islamabad, Abdullah, a former foreign minister and chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Pakistan's foreign minister.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been rocky. Afghanistan and its international allies have for years accused Pakistan of backing Taliban insurgents as a way to limit the influence of old rival India in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies that and in turn accuses Afghanistan of letting anti-Pakistan militants plot attacks from Afghan soil, which Afghanistan denies.
"Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace," its foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. "The visit of Dr Abdullah Abdullah will contribute to further strengthening amity, brotherhood and close cooperation."
