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Khan Says Afghan War 'Has No Military Solution'

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that in his
   meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday he will stress the need
   for political resolution to the protracted war in Afghanistan.

   Khan, who is in the U.S. on a three-day official visit in a bid to
   repair strained bilateral ties, made the remarks to a big gathering of
   Pakistani diaspora in Washington late on Sunday. He had long campaigned
   against the use of U.S. military force to resolve the conflict even
   before he came to power after last year's elections in Pakistan.

   "I feel proud that now the whole world is saying Afghanistan has no
   military solution," Khan told the cheering crowd, which organizers said
   was the biggest gathering of Pakistani Americans to date.

   Earlier, a senior U.S. administration official said Trump will press
   Khan for assistance in advancing the Afghan peace process and encourage
   Pakistan to crackdown on militants within its territory.

   Pakistan has arranged Washington's direct peace negotiations with
   Taliban insurgents who are fighting local and U.S.-led international
   troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

   The months-long U.S.-Taliban dialogue has brought the two adversaries
   in the 18-year-old Afghan war close to concluding a peace agreement to
   pave the ground for ending what has become the longest U.S. foreign
   military intervention.

   The U.S. official said Washington appreciates "the initial steps"
   Islamabad has taken to facilitate the peace process but it is "reaching
   a critical juncture" and more needs to be done to move the process
   forward.

   "The president will be most interested in encouraging Pakistan to...
   use its leverage with the Taliban to help bring about a ceasefire and
   genuine inter-Afghan negotiation that includes the Afghan
   government'¦.We're hoping that the discussions are productive."

   The Taliban refuses to engage in peace talks with Afghan interlocutors
   until it concludes an agreement with Washington that would outline a
   timetable for withdrawal of all American troops. In exchange, the
   agreement will bind the insurgents to prevent foreign militants from
   using Taliban-controlled areas for international terrorism.

   The Taliban insists that once the agreement is signed with the U.S. in
   the presence of international guarantors it will initiate inter-Afghan
   talks to discuss a ceasefire and issues related to political governance
   in the country.

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