Daily Times

Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq visited Doha, the capital of Qatar, where he met Taliban political leaders to discuss the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said late Friday.

A foreign office statement said that Sadiq paid the visit to Qatar on June 16-17, where he met Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban political office.

Pakistan appointed Sadiq as special representative for Afghanistan this month and it was his first meeting with the Taliban representatives in Qatar, where the Taliban have political headquarters.

“The Special Representative underlined that Pakistan will continue to play its role as facilitator for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,” the statement said and referred to the recent visit of the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Kabul, Afghanistan, which “had imparted a new impetus to Pakistan’s efforts.”

Sadiq appreciated the Taliban’s commitment to implement the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in late February that will pave the way for the withdrawal of the US and NATO troops from Afghanistan.

He also noted that the release of prisoners as per the US-Taliban peace agreement would be a stepping stone towards the immediate start of Intra-Afghan negotiations.

The negotiations were scheduled to start on March 10 but were delayed after a controversy surfaced over the release of up to 5000 Taliban while up to 1000 Afghan government’s prisoners under the U.S.-Taliban agreement.

“Pakistan hopes that all concerned parties will make sincere efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Pakistan, on its part, remains fully committed to support the Afghan Peace Process,” the statement said.

Sadiq said earlier that Mullah Bradar said the release of prisoners according to the Feb. 28 accord would be a stepping stone to immediately start Intra Afghan negotiations. He said Pakistan considered Doha a convenient venue for Intra-Afghan negotiations. However, it is for the stakeholders to make a final decision in this regard, he added.

“Pakistan hoped that all parties concerned would sincerely make efforts for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan. On its part, the Government of Pakistan is fully committed to support the peace process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Atif Mashal said on Friday that Prime Minister’s Advisor in Trade & Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood has assured him to waive off demurrage and detention charges on Afghan transit goods that are stuck due to corona pandemic.

Afghan traders say that their transit cargo is lying at Karachi ports under severe demurrage and detention charges since the first week of March 2020

Ahmad Shah Yarzada, member of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who imports goods under transit trade, told Daily Times last week that Afghan traders encounter delays up to 5-12 days for cargo clearance at Karachi.

Ambassador Mashal tweeted that he discussed the growth of Afghanistan-Pak trade relations and problems faced by traders in his meeting with the Pakistani adviser.

He said demurrage and detention charges for Afghan traders due to recent closures during the upcoming round of Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) meeting in Kabul soon.