Pak welcomes US-Taliban agreement ; deal could see US pullout in 14 months

Marc 1, 2020

Kabul: Pakistan has welcomed the signing of the historic agreement between the US and Taliban as a major step towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of war and hoped that the Afghan factions would avail this opportunity to reach a mutual accommodation.

Pakistan was represented at the signing ceremony in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dawn news reported.

The agreement, under which the US committed to withdraw up to 5,000 troops in about four and a half months and all remaining forces within 14 months, if the deal holds, is expected to lead to initiation of intra-Afghan dialogue by March 10.

“We welcome the Doha Accord signed between US and the Taliban. This is the start of a peace and reconciliation process to end decades of war and suffering of the Afghan people,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted on Saturday night and said he stood vindicated that a political solution was the only route to peace.

Cautioning about the challenges ahead for the peace process, Khan said: “Now all stakeholders have to ensure that spoilers are kept at bay. My prayers for peace for the Afghan people who have suffered four decades of bloodshed.”

Khan added that Pakistan remained committed to playing its role in ensuring that the agreement held and succeeded in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

The announcement about the deal came in a joint US-Afghan declaration issued here on Saturday ahead of the agreement to be signed in Qatar later in the day, which is aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict, BBC reported.

Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are to follow.

“The coalition will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months following the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement… subject to the Taliban’s fulfilment of its commitments,” the statement released by the US and Afghan governments said.

The US invaded the country weeks after the September 2001 attacks by the Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda group.

More than 2,400 US troops have been killed during the conflict. About 12,000 are still stationed in the country. President Trump has promised to put an end to the conflict.

IANS