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Afghan Delegation in Pakistan to Hold First Peace Talks With Taliban

© AFP 2023 / Noorullah ShirzadaAfghan former Taliban fighters are photographed holding weapons before they hand them over as part of a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad on February 8, 2015
Afghan former Taliban fighters are photographed holding weapons before they hand them over as part of a government peace and reconciliation process at a ceremony in Jalalabad on February 8, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The Taliban and a senior member of the Afghanistan government are set to engage in direct talks starting Wednesday in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The two sides would break the ice over iftar, the sunset meal that for Muslims marks the end of a day's fast during the month of Ramadan, according to Pakistani intelligence officials who spoke to British Newspaper the Guardian.

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Formal talks would then take place on Wednesday at an unnamed location, with Chinese diplomats invited to attend as observers, one official told the paper. Worried over instability near its southwest border, China has taken on a bigger role in brokering an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

US officials may also attend some of the Islamabad meetings, one intelligence official told the Guardian.

Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, called the impending talks "a major breakthrough."

"I hope there will be a positive outcome, which will certainly be very helpful for peace and stability in Afghanistan," he said.

Still, with talks just hours away, violence continued in Kabul, where a suicide car bomber targeting a NATO vehicle injured three people. Later, three insurgents killed a guard at an office of the Afghan spy agency.

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While many agree that political intervention is needed to end the violence, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been criticized at home for enlisting the help of Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the peace table.

Many Afghans hold Pakistan responsible for backing the Taliban in the first place.

Hasan Askari Rizvi, a veteran Pakistani security analyst, told the Guardian:

"Ghani is under a lot of pressure from the Afghan parliament and the Afghan bureaucracy who are all against Pakistan. The fact talks are being held in Islamabad will enable him to say the Pakistanis are trying to help."

The talks could be hindered by an increasingly split Taliban, which has field commanders who are unwilling to accept orders from a leadership based outside Afghanistan.

Another obstacle to peace in Afghanistan is the so-called Islamic State terror group, which is gaining inroads in the country and has had success attracting disillusioned Taliban fighters.

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