US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken on Wednesday telephoned Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
“During the conversation matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including latest developments in Afghan peace process and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed,” according to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The COAS said that Pakistan will always support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process based on mutual consensus of all the stakeholders. “The US dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region and pledged to further enhance bilateral relations between both countries,” the ISPR added.
President Biden after reviewing the Afghan peace efforts has finally concluded that the US forces would have to withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11 this year. This means the Biden administration is not going to meet the May 1 deadline, set in the February 29 deal between the US and Afghan Taliban. The insurgent group, after the US decision, has announced not to take part in any peace talks forcing Washington to postpone a key conference scheduled to begin in Turkey later this week.
