Pakistan brokering US-Taliban talks: PM

PESHAWAR: Sounding euphoric, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday Pakistan had brokered peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the US at the request of the latter. The prime minister said the talks are scheduled to be held on December 17.

The prime minister, who was on a day-long visit to Peshawar, was speaking at a function on Friday arranged to present the assessment and evaluation of the 100-day agenda of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Giving his viewpoint about the future Peshawar in the context of peace efforts being carried out in Afghanistan, he said, “If Allah wills, Peshawar would change and it would become the hub of commerce and tourism, as things around this 2,500-year-old living city are likely to change.”

Sounding very optimistic, the prime minister said Peshawar would change because the same America, which was always intimidating Pakistan to “do more”, is now asking it to facilitate its talks with the Taliban.

“When I used to say that there is no other solution to this problem other than negotiations, I was described as the Taliban Khan, but they now ask us to help them in initiating talks with the Taliban,” Imran Khan said. “Now Pakistan has facilitated their talks with the Taliban, which are scheduled for December 17,” the premier said.