Afghan Taliban discuss Kabul talks with Pakistan

At least three Afghan Taliban members have met officials here to discuss recent secret talks with Kabul held in Qatar, a Pakistani official said on Saturday.

An Afghan diplomat as well as a Taliban member also confirmed the Friday meeting after the peace process, started in 2013, broke down following the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar's successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, News International reported.

Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said he was aware of the meetings but refused to offer details.

Islamabad is playing its role to ensure peace in Afghanistan, said the Pakistani official who confirmed the meetings between the Taliban and Pakistani authorities.

"We will keep making efforts to facilitate talks between Kabul and the Taliban as we did in July last year but the world knows who scuttled the peace process at the time and we do not want to discuss those bitter things," the Pakistani official said.

The two rounds of talks are the first known negotiations to have taken place since a Pakistan-brokered process broke down late in May following Mansour's death in a US drone strike in Pakistan.

--IANS

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