An upcoming peace deal between the United States and the Taliban movement may help open economic channels between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in the wider region, Saleem Mandviwalla, deputy chairman of Pakistan's Senate, told Sputnik on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2020) An upcoming peace deal between the United States and the Taliban movement may help open economic channels between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in the wider region, Saleem Mandviwalla, deputy chairman of Pakistan's Senate, told Sputnik on Tuesday.
Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Washington would be ready to sign a peace deal with the Taliban on February 29, should the militant group commit to a week-long reduction of violence. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that the US was "pretty close" to deal with Afghanistan and added that there have been two days without violence, or at least a minimum of violence, in the country.
"The US-Taliban agreement will certainly help lower violence and also significantly reduce footprints of outside extremist groups in Afghanistan. Ultimately, it would open up economic opportunities for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region," Mandviwalla said, adding that Pakistan welcomed the agreement.
Moreover, the upcoming deal will constitute an important step toward an intra-Afghan dialogue, which is vital for restoring permanent peace in Afghanistan, he said.
"We hope that spoilers of the peace process do not create hurdles," he added.
Afghanistan has long been crippled by insecurity and conflict as the authorities try to contain the aggression of the Taliban, which has been waging war against Kabul for almost two decades, and terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (both banned in Russia).
Since 2018, the US government and the Taliban have been attempting to negotiate a peace deal that would ensure the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the movement's guarantees that the country would not become a safe haven for terrorists. The two parties have been meeting regularly in Qatar, albeit with several breaks over Taliban attacks.
Talks resumed in earnest in January, with the most recent round taking place on Monday, during which US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met with senior Taliban members and negotiators.
