US envoy, Taliban representatives meet for second day

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, met for the second day on Friday, according to a media report.

Baradar along with a 12-member delegation has been in Pakistan since Wednesday on the invitation of Pakistan.

Khalilzad also arrived this week but there was no official word on his presence.

A Pakistani official privy to the development confirmed to The Express Tribune that US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, met for the second day on Friday.

The meeting was a follow up of their two-hour-long discussions held in Islamabad on Thursday, said the official, who requested not to be identified.

This was the first face-to-face meeting between the US chief negotiator and Taliban leaders since President Donald Trump last month pulled out off the peace talks, citing the Taliban's continued attacks targeting American soldiers.

Both Pakistan and US officials remained tight-lipped about the talks in Islamabad, although Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi did confirm that the US and Taliban representatives were scheduled to meet.

However, he neither provided any further details nor suggested if the meeting had already taken place.

The purpose of these meetings, according to the official, was to lay the ground for the resumption of peace process, which has already covered a lot of ground.

In fact, when Trump cancelled talks with the Taliban at Camp David on September 9, the two sides had in principle already finalised the deal.

One of the reasons for cancellations of talks was the impression that the draft agreement offered little concessions to the US and some even perceived it as a document of surrender.

The current efforts led by Pakistan are aimed at narrowing down the differences between the two sides.

The US has been pushing for a ceasefire or at least securing a commitment from the Taliban to reduce the level of violence in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is trying to convince the Taliban to show flexibility on the issue of ceasefire and holding direct talks with the Afghan government.

Pakistan is hopeful that it will be able to persuade the Taliban to reconsider their stance.

Both the Taliban representatives and US envoy are staying in Islamabad till Sunday.

The purpose of extended visit is to give enough time to both sides to bridge their differences.