ISLAMABAD, OCT 13 (DNA) – Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq said on Tuesday that he has spoken to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and discussed with him “further facilitation” of intra-Afghan negotiations.

The U.S. and Pakistani special envoys have spoken at a time when the Taliban and an Afghan government negotiation team have yet to agree on rules for conducting the negotiations.

Both sides had opened negotiations in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 12 to decide Afghanistan’s political future, but the process is very slow.

Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government negotiation team, and the Taliban political spokesman Mohammad Naeem, said on twitter that contact groups of the government and the Taliban held a meeting Monday evening and held detailed discussions on the contested issues. Both sides agreed to continue meetings to reach a resolution.

The slow pace of the talks has raised concerns of the major stakeholders at a time when there is a spike in violence in Afghanistan.

Sadiq tweeted on Tuesday that he held a virtual conference with Khalilzad on “further facilitation of Intra-Afghan Negotiations, ways international community could support the process and regional connectivity to make Pakistan and Afghanistan hub of inter-regional trade.”

Khalilzad visited Pakistan on Thursday, Oct. 8,. and held talks with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on the peace process.

Diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions between the Pakistani and U.S. officials said that both sides are working on a “roadmap” to end the stalemate in the intra-Afghan dialogue.

“The roadmap will be shared with the Afghan government and the Taliban,” they said.

The Taliban and the United States signed an agreement in Qatar on Feb. 29 on the withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces and to end the war in Afghanistan. = DNA

====================