Pakistan PM travels to Qatar to talk Afghan peace

PanARMENIAN.Net - Pakistan's prime minister will explain his country's stance on the issue of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban when he travels next week to Qatar to meet the Gulf state's leaders, a government spokesman said Saturday, February 4.

Last month, the Afghan Taliban announced they would set up a political office in Qatar, a major development in a peace process that has already been marked by setbacks and mistrust among the central players.

The trip by Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani on Monday comes amid unease in Kabul and Islamabad over the decision by the Taliban to open the Qatar office. Officials in both countries have said they fear they are being left out of the peace process.

"Our prime minister will have discussions in this connection with the Qatar leadership," foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told a local television station. "He will also inform them that what is the Pakistani perspective in this situation."

Pakistan is an important player in moves to end the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan because many of the leaders of the insurgency are said to be sheltering on its territory. The country's security forces are alleged to have links with the militants that could be useful in bringing them to the negotiating table.