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Thursday March 28, 2024

Alice Wells in Pakistan for crucial talks

Pakistan maintains that a broad-based and structured framework for dialogue would best serve the two countries’ shared interests. Alice Well’s visit comes on the eve of a meeting in Moscow between the Afghan Taliban, the Kabul government and several countries, including Pakistan.

By Web Desk
November 06, 2018

ISLAMABAD: US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Ambassador Alice Wells arrived today for another round of talks with senior Pakistani officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Wells has visited Islamabad several times this year. “The aim would be to follow up on discussions between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo with a view to further strengthening bilateral relations. Ambassador Wells will also call on the finance minister,” the Foreign Office announced.

Pakistan maintains that a broad-based and structured framework for dialogue would best serve the two countries’ shared interests. Alice Well’s visit comes on the eve of a meeting in Moscow between the Afghan Taliban, the Kabul government and several countries, including Pakistan.

Earlier, both countries had agreed that the Afghan Taliban should engage in dialogue to reach a political settlement. It’s no secret that Washington wants Pakistan’s help in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table so that a way could be found where the US troops could withdraw with no threats to the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

In this respect, Pakistan has released a high-profile Afghan Taliban and former deputy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Washington’s request. Qureshi and Pompeo had first met in Islamabad and the meeting was encouraging enough to be followed up in Washington when Pakistan’s foreign minister attended the UNGA.

At the conclusion of Pompeo’s visit to Islamabad, Pakistan had announced that there was now a ‘re-set’ in their bilateral relations while Pompeo had said that Washington appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the region.

In all of his meetings in Islamabad, Secretary Pompeo emphasized the important role Pakistan could play in bringing about a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, and conveyed the need for Pakistan to take sustained and decisive measures against terrorists and militants threatening regional peace and stability.

At the conclusion of Pompeo’s meeting in Islamabad, the State Department had highlighted the importance of US-Pakistan relationship and underscored areas of shared interest such as the expansion of two-way trade and commercial ties.

“Pompeo discussed the potential for the United States and Pakistan to work together to advance joint priorities, including regional peace and stability. “He also emphasized the value of strong people-to-people ties between our nations built on decades of cultural and educational exchanges”, the State Department had remarked.