Daily Times

United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells arrived in Islamabad on Monday for crucial talks to explore possibility of resuming the Afghan reconciliation process, a private TV channel reported.

A senior state department official and President Trump’s point person for the region, Wells is scheduled to meet senior officials at the Foreign Office as well as military authorities.

Pakistan is confident that the Taliban could be brought to the negotiating table after the successful ceasefire observed by the Afghan government and insurgents on Eid. Sources familiar with the efforts to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table said both Afghanistan and the United States wanted to reach some kind of deal with the insurgents before the parliamentary elections due later this year.

The Afghan president on Saturday confirmed that Pakistan and Afghanistan had made considerable progress on how to achieve peace in the war-torn country. “Against this backdrop, the visit of Ambassador Wells holds great significance,” commented a senior Foreign Office official while requesting anonymity. The official said despite the recent hiccup in ties, Pakistan and the US were still working closely to find a common ground on Afghanistan.

Published in Daily Times, July 3^rd 2018.