PESHAWAR - During their recent visit to Pakistan, the Taliban signaled their willingness to return to peace talks with the Afghan government, a media report said on Monday.
However, the three-member delegation from Taliban’s political office in Doha sought the release of some prisoners held in Pakistan and Afghanistan before direct negotiations resume.
The Express Tribune quoted unnamed Pakistani officials as saying the main faction of the Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Akhtar Mansoor could come back to the negotiating table.
Officials familiar with the discussions told the newspaper Pakistan and China had conveyed a clear message to the Taliban that a positive environment was the key to any negotiations.
“For this purpose, we told the Taliban delegation that they have to agree on a cessation of violence inside Afghanistan,” one Pakistani official was quoted as saying by the daily.
Although the Taliban insisted the delegation’s visit was aimed to discuss issues of Afghan refugees and border security, insider said the main objective was to explore the possibility of direct parleys.
But the Ashraf Ghani administration, worried by the latest uptick in violence, insists the insurgent movement has no right to discuss border security with Pakistan.
Ghani has said Afghanistan will no longer seek Pakistan’s help for resuming peace talks with the Taliban, asking the neighbour to honour its commitment to action against the militants, including the Haqqani network. (Pajhwok)