Pakistan for successful US-Taliban talks as Wells expected in Islamabad.

Byline: SHAFQAT ALI

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan yesterday said that it was hopeful of successful US-Taliban talks for lasting peace in the war-torn country ahead of US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells visit to Islamabad.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said Islamabad was expecting Alice Wells for talks on all issues including Afghanistan and the Middle East tension.

She said that Pakistan and the US will discuss bilateral relations and the regional situation when Alice Wells visits Islamabad in the coming days.

'We are expecting Ambassador Alice Wells in Islamabad. We expect to have discussions in Foreign Office and other Ministries as well on various bilateral issues that are presently on agenda,' she elaborated.

Reports said Wells will be in Islamabad from January 19 to January 22 for talks. Wells, who is a regular visitor to Pakistan, will hold meetings with senior government officials to deliberate upon the matters of mutual and regional interests as the whole world was trying to defuse US-Iran tension.

About the US-Taliban talks, Aisha Farooqui said that Pakistan had welcomed the resumption of their talks. She hoped the talks will be concluded at the earliest leading to infra Afghan negotiations. Regarding US Special envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalizad's visit to Pakistan, she said there were tentative dates for the visit for last week, which did not transpire.

To a question, she said an Afghan delegation was visiting Islamabad on the invitation of a Think Tank to participate in a seminar in Islamabad. 'I understand they held some official meetings as well,' she remarked.

This week, Afghan leaders who gathered here for a roundtable conference urged the US not to strike a peace deal with the Taliban only.

The participants including Member Parliament and Head of Hizb-e-Wahdat Mardam-e-Afghan Haji Mohammed Mohaqiq, HWMA delegation, former ambassador Mohammed Sadiq, former ambassador Arif Durrani, Analyst A Z Hilali, Dr Salma Malik, Dr Azmat Hayat, and others, believed the peace process should be 'plural' not 'singular.' The roundtable was organised by the Lahore Centre for Peace Research under the 'Lahore Process' for peace.

The conference participants acknowledged that Pakistan had been contributing as a facilitator for the peace of Afghanistan. There was a consensus that the war needed to end and intra-Afghan dialogue was the key...