US peace envoy Khalilzad to brief Pakistan on progress with Taliban

Zalmay Khalilzad said that he will be heading to Qatar for talks with the Taliban and will have a stopover in Pakistan.
US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (Photo | AP)
US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (Photo | AP)

ISLAMABAD: US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday to brief Pakistani leaders on the progress he had made so far in talks with the Taliban, a Pakistani foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

Taliban and the US side will resume talks in a couple of days. Khalilzad said he will be heading to Qatar for talks with the Taliban and will have a stopover in Pakistan, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"I'm off to Doha, with a stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on," Khalilzad tweeted.

Both sides started negotiations in October last year to find a political solution to the Afghan war.

Reports said both sides have differences over a time-frame for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

He described his recent visit to Afghanistan as the "most productive visit" to the country since he took over the job as special envoy.

"The US and Afghanistan have agreed on next steps. And a negotiating team and technical support group are being finalized," Khalilzad tweeted.

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