MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) A peace conference on Afghan settlement, proposed by Pakistan, has been postponed to a later date, Afghan Pajhwok news reported on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Pakistani broadcaster 1TV announced that Pakistan was ready to host a conference on Afghan peace process with the participation of all key stakeholders. The Afghan president's security adviser, Mohammad Mohaqiq, reportedly agreed to participate in the event.
Initially, the conference was planned for July 17-19, according to the invitation note by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, published by Pajhwok.
"Given the geographic proximity and close ties ... of Pakistan and Afghanistan, I am pleased to extend an invitation to visit Pakistan from July 17 to 19, 2021, to participate in the peace conference on Afghan [settlement] in Islamabad," the note said.
However, the agency noted, citing a source in the office of the Afghan president, the conference was postponed to a later date.
Afghanistan has been engulfed in clashes between the government forces and the Taliban (designated terrorist and banned in Russia), who have stepped up offensive as the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country is nearing its end.
Afghan media reported earlier this week that a number of Afghan politicians, including former president Hamid Karzai and head of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, will soon hold talks with the Taliban representatives in Qatar's capital, Doha.
