Pak NSA, ISI chief likely to visit US next week for talks on Afghanistan: Report

Islamabad, July 24

Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed are likely to visit the US next week for talks with their American counterparts on the situation in Afghanistan as part of Washington’s diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in the war-torn nation, according to a media report.

The efforts also include visits by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to New Delhi and Kabul for talks aimed at formulating a regional response to the Afghan crisis, the Dawn newspaper reported from Washington while quoting diplomatic sources.

The trip of Yusuf and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed was part of these diplomatic efforts, it said.

“Pakistan has a key role in a new US diplomatic offensive aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan,” diplomatic sources told the newspaper on Friday.

Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants that they would prevent extremist groups from operating in areas they control.

US Central Command, which is in charge of Afghanistan, said recently that the withdrawal of US forces is more than 95 per cent complete.

President Joe Biden has said the withdrawal would be complete by the end of August. 

At a recent briefing in Washington, US State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price said the Biden administration hopes to “see Afghanistan’s neighbours play a constructive, responsible role in bringing about a just and durable solution” to the Afghan conflict.

Price also underlined Pakistan’s role in the peace process, saying: “We understand the crucial role that Pakistan has the potential to play in this.” This would be the second meeting between Yusuf and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan, who first met in Geneva in March this year.

The meeting in Geneva was the first highest-level physical contact between the two countries since the Biden administration took office.

Secretary Blinken, however, had earlier twice spoken to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa. Similarly, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had also been in touch with General Bajwa. PTI