Qatar formally invites Pakistan to Afghanistan peace deal ceremony

Pakistan, a key player in Afghanistan affairs, has been formally invited to attend the signing ceremony of the US-Taliban peace deal that will be held in Doha on Saturday (February 29).

Qatari Ambassador to Pakistan Saqr Bin Mubarak Al Mansouri called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Tuesday and extended the invitation.

If all things go right the signing of the proposed peace deal will be a historical development that would hopefully lead to lasting peace in the war-torn neighbor.

President Donald Trump, before setting off to India for his ongoing two-day visit, expressed the hope that the peace deal will go through.

Already, the US-led forces and the Afghan Taliban are observing the week-long “reduction in violence” truce, which is meant for ameliorating the atmosphere for the eventual deal. The truce, which took effect across Afghanistan on Saturday, was reached following months of negotiations.

Welcoming the US-Taliban peace parlays, Pakistan – which has facilitated the deal – said that it always remained a staunch supporter of talks to find a political solutions to disputes. This was why Islamabad consistently supported the direct negotiations between the two parties in Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday a seven-day partial truce with the Afghan Taliban has “been holding up” and it could eventually lead to his signing of a peace deal with the insurgent group scheduled for this week.

“I want to see how this period of a week works out,” Trump told reporters before his departure on a trip to India. He said the cooling off period has “been holding up” but Trump stressed that progress over the remaining days was key to taking next steps in the Afghan peace process. 

The “reduction in violence” is meant to pave the way for US and Taliban officials to sign a comprehensive agreement in Qatar later this week that would set the stage for a gradual withdrawal of US troops to bring an end to America’s longest war.

 “If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it, yes. Time to come home,” Trump said when asked whether he would sign the US-Taliban agreement Saturday.  “And they (Taliban) want to stop. I think the Taliban want to make a deal, too. They’re tired of fighting,” the US president said.

The two adversaries have negotiated a draft agreement in contentious off-and-on negotiations spread over a period of 18 months, hosted by Doha, Qatar. The gulf state is where the Taliban also maintains its political office.

Earlier, a senior Qatar foreign ministry envoy reportedly visited the Afghan capital, Kabul on Sunday where he met with President Ashraf Ghani and other political figures to discuss the upcoming signing ceremony, among other issues. Mutlaq Bin Majed Al-Qahtani later shared details of his meetings with the Afghan TOLO TV channel. 

“Quite important countries and organisations, permanent and non-permanent members in the security council, neighboring countries and all the stakeholders — all those countries who are going to support the peace process of Afghanistan —will attend the signing ceremony,” the channel quoted Al-Qahtani as saying. “Hopefully, we can conclude this and sign it in Doha on the 29 this month,” the envoy added.  

The Taliban-Afghan peace talks are expected to begin within two weeks of the signing of the agreement, if they lead to a further reduction of violence, the United States will initiate a significant troop reduction over a period of several months.

The US-Taliban agreement provides a timetable for the withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Afghanistan, Taliban counterterrorism guarantees, and a process for political reconciliation between Afghan parties to the conflict through an intra-Afghan dialogue process.