US envoy due in Islamabad as Afghan peace talks falter

Al Jazeera: United States Special Envoy on Afghan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is due to arrive in the Pakistani capital Islamabad for talks with the country’s civilian and military leadership, as the Afghan Taliban threaten to pull out of peace talks that could see an end to the 17-year Afghan War. Khalilzad is expected to land in Islamabad on Thursday, although the envoy’s schedule has been fluid in recent days after his visits to New Delhi, Beijing and Kabul, with brief stops in Dubai, since embarking on his regional tour earlier this month.
The US envoy’s visit to Pakistan comes as the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday threatened to pull the plug on direct negotiations with the US, accusing the country of duplicity in a statement issued to the media.
“If [the US] seeks to avoid accepting the legitimate demands of Afghans and under various excuses wishes to pursue its colonial and military objectives in the guise of peace … it means it has a lack of interest in finding a peaceful solution to the Afghan problem,” read the Taliban statement.
In advance of Khalilzad’s visit, senior US State Department official Lisa Curtis has been holding meetings in the Pakistani capital.
Curtis is expected to accompany Khalilzad on his engagements with the government of Pakistan, a country the US considers to have a key role in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.
In December, US President Donald Trump told Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that he considered Pakistan to “[have] the ability to deny the Taliban sanctuary on its territory”, in a letter requesting Afghanistan’s eastern neighbour for its “support and facilitation” for the Afghan peace process.
Pakistan denies that it holds direct influence over the Afghan Taliban, an armed group that has been fighting US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan since 2001, and which the Afghan government considers to be backed by Islamabad.
Pakistan has long advocated for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the US’s longest-ever war – reaching more than 17 years of fighting.
“Pakistan’s long-standing position to give peace and reconciliation a real chance in Afghanistan has become the basis of an international consensus,” said Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal at a recent press briefing.
The Pakistani Foreign Office has acknowledged the country’s role as a “facilitator” in the Afghan peace process in several statements, but denies having direct control or influence over the Afghan Taliban.