DOHA: Pakistan and the United States engaged in bilateral consultations on Afghanistan during the third round of the 2-day Doha talks held in Qatar, as reported on Monday.
The dialogue featured discussions between the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, and his delegation, and the Pakistani team led by Special Representative Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar Dr. Muhammad Ijaz, and Head of Mission in Kabul, Obaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani.
These talks occurred ahead of a United Nations-sponsored conference in Doha. Diplomatic sources noted that the discussions focused on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, the implications of the third Doha conference, and potential strategic options.
The Pakistani delegation also held meetings with other international representatives, including Russian Special Representative Zamir Kabulov and the European Union delegation headed by Special Representative Tomas Niklasson.
For the first time, the Afghan Taliban interim government participated in the talks, marking a significant shift from their previous stance where they boycotted the inclusion of Afghan women and civil society representatives in the last Doha talks.
This year’s conference also saw the unprecedented participation of special representatives on Afghanistan from around the world, directly engaging with representatives of the Afghan Taliban.
On the sidelines, representatives from Afghanistan’s Taliban government commenced discussions with UN officials, focusing on enhancing international engagement with Afghanistan and coordinating responses to economic challenges and counter-narcotics efforts. This meeting is part of a series of talks hosted by Qatar, aimed at addressing the critical issues facing Afghanistan since the Taliban’s ascent to power in 2021.
