Pakistan seeks political solution to Afghan conflict.

Byline: SHAFQAT ALI

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan and the United States yesterday agreed to move forward together to achieve peace in Afghanistan.

The two-way delegation level consultative meeting between Pakistan and the US on Afghanistan was held at the Foreign Office here. The US delegation was led by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad while Additional Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aftab Khokhar headed the Pakistani side.

The US delegation comprised representatives of Defence and State Departments while senior officials from ministries of defence and foreign affairs participated for Pakistan.

During the meeting, issues of mutual interest including bilateral ties, regional peace situation, and Afghan peace process came under discussion, said a foreign ministry statement.

Additional Secretary Aftab Khokhar said that Pakistan will continue playing its mediatory role in establishment of peace in the region, including Afghan peace process, as part of the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

'Pakistan has advised all the sides to move towards political resolution of the issue in order to end the decades' long conflict in the region,' the statement said.

Other officials said that the two countries agreed that there was no option but to cooperate to resolve the Afghanistan issue. 'The two sides agreed to work together. Pakistan assured all support for the Afghan peace,' one official told The Nation.

Another official said the US urged Pakistan to improve the understanding with Afghanistan to make the peace process a reality.

Ambassador Khalilzad appreciated Pakistan's pivotal role for establishment of enduring peace in the region. He said the US needed Pakistan's help for peace in Afghanistan.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that in the talks with Khalilzad's team its delegation reiterated Pakistan's commitment for Afghan peace. 'It encouraged all sides to agree to seize the moment to end the prolonged conflict through a political settlement,' Faisal added.

Earlier, Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad to attend a bilateral Pak-US consultative meeting, during his two-week peace mission to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to end the long-running Afghan war.

Regarding the meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Makkah, Khalilzad tweeted: 'It will improve relations between the two countries.'

He...

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