Pakistan to help US bring Taliban to negotiating table

Pakistan reassured the U.S. on Wednesday that it would use its influence to bring Taliban to the negotiating table in war-struck Afghanistan.

“The U.S wants Pakistan to play its role for negotiations and reconciliation in Afghanistan. This is what our policy and desire is. We want peace and stability in Afghanistan, and I have fully assured them in this regard,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at a news conference after a meeting with U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in capital Islamabad.

Pompeo arrived in the capital for a one-day visit, shortly after the U.S. announced a military aid cut of $300 million to Pakistan. On Thursday, he will set out to India.

“America will lead peace talks with the Taliban,” Qureshi added, pointing to a thawing of ties between the two allies on the war on terror.

The two sides agreed that the present conditions in Afghanistan were conducive to intensifying efforts for a political settlement, said a statement from the Foreign Ministry after the meeting.

Pompeo conveyed the U.S desire to work with Pakistan in furthering the shared objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan, the statement added.

In a tweet after the meeting Pompeo said: "In #Pakistan with my colleague friend CJCS Gen Joe Dunford. Today we met with PM @ImranKhanPTI FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi to discuss our diplomatic military to military relationship. @StateDept."

U.S. army chief Gen. Joseph Dunford also accompanied the U.S. secretary of state.

The Pakistani foreign minister observed that a lingering diplomatic deadlock between Pakistan and the U.S had been broken by Pompeo’s visit.

“There had been a long deadlock in relations between the two sides. But the situation has totally changed in this meeting,” he said.

Responding to a question regarding the aid cut, Qureshi said: "We do not have a give and take relation with the U.S. We are a sovereign nation, and we do not want to talk about money but about principles."

He added that Pompeo had extended him an invitation to visit Washington, which he accepted.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pompeo met newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan and army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Khan said that his government's agenda was focused on human development and poverty alleviation for which peace and stability in the region was a pre-requisite. He underscored his commitment to peace with all neighbors, according to a statement released from the prime minister house.

Pompeo conveyed the desire of the U.S. administration to work with Pakistan to achieve the common objectives of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, the statement added.