Pakistan said on Wednesday that the meeting on Afghanistan would be an important opportunity for the Afghans to make progress towards a negotiated political settlement. Remarks by Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced Tuesday that an international conference on Afghanistan peace process was postponed to after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “We decided to postpone the talks” until the end of the Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim feast that marks the end of Ramadan, Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Haberturk broadcaster. In response to queries from some media on the postponement of the conference on Afghan peace process to be held in Turkey, Chaudhri said Pakistan has been consistently supporting and facilitating the efforts for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. “We believe that the meeting of Afghan leadership in Turkey, on the new dates once finalized, would be an important opportunity for the Afghans to make progress towards a negotiated political settlement,” the Pakistani foreign ministry’s spokesman said in a statement. He said Pakistan attaches great value to Turkey’s efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan. Chaudhri said Pakistan has always maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, adding Pakistan hopes that the Afghan parties will not miss the opportunity to work out an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. The spokesman said Pakistan will continue to work with the international community in the efforts to seek lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.” Turkey earlier said that the conference was scheduled to be held in Istanbul from April 24 to May 4, with an aim to draw a roadmap for ending the conflict between the Afghan government and Taliban. The meeting was originally planned to start on April 16 but the Taliban said they would not participate as their consultations were not completed. In a joint statement Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations said they had planned to co-convene a high-level conference in Istanbul, from 24 April to 4 May 2021, with the participation of the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban to add momentum to the negotiations that started in Doha last September to achieve a just and lasting peace in Afghanistan. “In view of recent developments, and after extensive consultations with the parties, it has been agreed to postpone the conference to a later date when conditions for making meaningful progress would be more favorable,” the statement issued early Wednesday said. The statement said Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations will resolutely continue their earnest efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Daily Times that the Taliban will take a decision whenever new dates for the meeting in Turkey are announced. Pakistan’s special representative Mohammad Sadiq is scheduled to travel to Kabul for a two-day visit on April 25-26 along with a delegation for talks on bilateral relations including security and trade issues, Afghan sources said. Sadiq will hold talks with his Afghan counterpart Umer Daudzai that will also focus on Pakistan’s role in the peace process, the sources said. Security and officials related to the commerce ministries will accompany the Pakistani envoy and their counterparts will take part in delegation-level talks. Meanwhile a trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey will be held in Turkey on Friday, sources said. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead Pakistani delegation in the meeting that will also discuss options for cooperation to push the peace process forward.