Pakistan sees ‘progress’ at Taliban-US talks in Qatar

Pakistan’s foreign minister said “progress has been made” at ongoing peace talks in Qatar between the Taliban and the US over two weeks. Shah Mehmood Qureshi spoke on Tuesday at a news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Islamabad, AP reports. “Pakistan has encouraged all factions within Afghanistan to sit together and have a meaningful intra-Afghan dialogue,” Qureshi added. The talks between US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have gone on days longer than initially expected in Doha, Qatar. Washington had asked Pakistan to assist in its efforts to find a negotiated peace deal with the Taliban to end the longest war in American history. However, the Taliban refuses to negotiate with Kabul, which isn’t taking part in the Qatar talks.