US Special Envoy Khalilzad back in region for Afghan peace
It is the second trip that Zalmay Khalilzad has made since April 12 to breathe momentum to the peace accord that he helped hammer out between the US and the Taliban.
By Aditi Bhaduri
U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is back in the region to accelerate the Afghan peace process. His itinerary includes Qatar, India, Pakistan, the US State Department announced on May 6.
“At each stop, he will urge support for an immediate reduction in violence, accelerated timeline for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, and cooperation among all sides in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan,” the State Department said.
On Thursday, May 7, morning, Khalilzad met with the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha.
Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, said Khalilzad met with the Taliban’s chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Doha.
The talks spanned a range of issues. “The meeting discussed the prompt release of prisoners, the beginning of inter-Afghan peace talks and the complete implementation of the agreement [between the Taliban and the U.S.],” Shaheen tweeted.
“We sought progress on a range of topics: a reductino in violence, humanitarian ceasefire as demanded by the interantional community to allow for better cooperation on managing Covid-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, acceleration of prisoner releases by both sides, actions necessary to secure the freedom of US citizen Mark Frerichs, regional & international support fot the peace process..” tweeted Khalilzad after the meeting.
Later in the day the envoy visited New Delhi where he met with the Indian Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He briefed his interlocutors on the US peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.
India has made considerable contribution – to the tune of more than $ 2 billion – to the reconstuction and infrastructural and democratic development and capacity building in the war torn country, in a bid to blunt Afghan dependency on its archrival Pakistan, which has been providing sanctuary and resources to the Taliban in order to blunt New Delhi’s influence in Kabul.
“The US side recognized India’s constructive contribution in economic development, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. They laid importance to India’s crucial and continuing role in sustainable peace, security and stability in Afghanistan,’ India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced in a statement.
Both Jaishankar and Doval reiterated India’s continued support for strengthening peace, security, unity, democratic and inclusive polity and protection of rights of all sections of the Afghan society.
India also voiced its concerns regarind the security of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, given the upsurge in violence in the country. It supports the call for immediate ceasefire and need to assist the people of Afghanistan in dealing with coronavirus pandemic.
An attack on a historic Sikh gurudwara in Kabul on March 25, killed 25 people, many of them women and children. The ISIS-Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attacks, while Afghan intelligence has also pointed the finger at the Pakistan-based Haqqani network.
“India remains engaged in extending humanitarian food and medical supplies to Afghanistan to deal with the situation created by coronavirus. It was emphasised that putting an end to terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries is necessary for enduring and sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan,” the Ministry said.
It is the second trip that Zalmay Khalilzad has made since April 12 to breathe momentum to the peace accord that he helped hammer out between the US and the Taliban. The accord, signed in Doha, Qatar, on February 29 calls for a phased pullout of US troops from America and an intra-Afghan dialogue.
While intra-Afghan negotiations have not made much headway, the Taliban have ramped up attacks inside Afghanistan.
Khalilzad will next be meeting with officials in Pakistan before he heads to Doha again for another round of meeting with the Taliban.
