Islamabad, Kabul pave way for Taliban peace talks

Pakistan Army General Raheel Sharif, met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in an attempt to improve regional security and prepare the way for fresh peace talks with the Taliban.

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According to the Dawn, discussions were held on mutual security issues, including information sharing, coordinated counter-terrorism operations, and the Afghan peace process.

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The meeting was the latest in a series of encounters between officials and politicians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and India over recent months, as cautious moves began towards easing long-standing tensions between Islamabad, Kabul and New Delhi.

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Sharif's visit to Kabul follows two meetings between Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over recent weeks that set the stage for efforts to restart Pakistan-brokered peace talks with the Taliban.

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Under pressure from the United States and China, Pakistan and Afghanistan are seeking to resume peace talks with the Taliban that broke down in July when it emerged that the Taliban's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had been dead for more than two years and his death had been covered up.