Islamabad pushing Kabul, Taliban to resume talks: Pakistani envoy

Pakistan's envoy to the UN has said that Islamabad is urging the Taliban and Afghan government to restart talks for a political settlement, state media reported on Wednesday.

In a briefing to UN correspondents, Munir Akram, the permanent representative to the UN, said Pakistan is very actively involved in pushing for a resumption of dialogue, Radio Pakistan reported.

"The Doha process is not dead but it is in a sort of suspended state following some controversies as the Biden administration decided to pull out US troops from Afghanistan without any conditions," the official was quoted as saying.

Recounting Islamabad's efforts to end the nearly 20-year conflict in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan had first facilitated talks between the US and Taliban in Doha and then between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Akram welcomed reports that the Taliban plan to present a written peace plan to the Afghan government and hoped the move could help expedite negotiations.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's prime minister said Islamabad was working with regional powers to ensure a political settlement in neighboring Afghanistan and avert a potential civil war following the US pullout.

Imran Khan also called on all neighboring countries to "play their role to save Afghanistan from civil war."

On Wednesday, Iran hosted intra-Afghan talks for the first time, which were attended by representatives from Kabul and high-ranking Taliban officials from the group's political office in Qatar.