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Pakistan Upbeat About Prospects of Afghan Peace Talks

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said Tuesday it was "hopeful" about prospects of
   U.S.-backed peace talks between Afghanistan's warring parties to end
   the country's long conflict.

   The optimism stemmed from a meeting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah
   Mehmood Qureshi held Tuesday with a visiting Afghan Taliban delegation
   led by the insurgent group's political affairs chief, Mullah Abdul
   Ghani Baradar.

   A post-meeting Pakistani statement said the discussions focused on the
   stalled Afghan peace process and the way forward.

   The proposed talks are a product of a Feb. 29 landmark peace deal the
   United States signed with the Taliban to help end decades of Afghan
   violence and allow all U.S. troops to withdraw from the country by
   mid-2021.

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