US Afghanistan envoy Khalilzad meets Taliban in Pakistan: report

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A 12-member Taliban delegation is on a visit to PakistanISLAMABAD: US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has met a
Taliban delegation in Islamabad, according to Reuters on Friday.Citing official sources, the report said the meeting in Islamabad did not
represent a resumption of formal negotiations between the US and the Taliban.Quoting an official who requested anonymity, the report said
&Pakistan played a big role& in arranging the meeting between Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban.The meeting, according to the report, did not
involve formal negotiations on the peace process, but aimed at building confidence
The US embassy in Islamabad and the State Department in Washington declined to comment on whether there had been a meeting between the
Taliban and Khalilzad.A State Department representative said Khalilzad had spent several days in Islamabad this week for consultations with
authorities in Pakistan, but his meetings in Islamabad did not represent a restart of the Afghan peace process.Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban
spokesman, would not confirm or deny that Taliban had met Khalilzad, adding that the Taliban delegation was still in Islamabad for meetings
on Friday.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the source
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