PM initiates dialogue with Taliban for inclusive govt in Afghanistan

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said that he had initiated dialogue with Taliban for an inclusive government in Afghanistan to include Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbek ethnicities.

The prime minister, who paid a two-day visit to Tajikistan mainly to attend the SCO Summit met with the leadership of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and including Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

“After meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan’s neighbours & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks,” the prime minister said on Twitter.

He said after 40 years of conflict, this inclusivity would ensure peace and a stable Afghanistan, which was in the interest not only of Afghanistan but the region as well.

At SCO too, the prime minister had reiterated Pakistan’s stance for an inclusive government in Afghanistan representing all communities to achieve durable peace in the country.