Hugs and smiles as Taliban meet Pakistan officials

A group of senior Taliban were warmly welcomed by Pakistani officials as they arrived in Islamabad Thursday, where the foreign minister called for a resumption of talks with the US on the war in Afghanistan.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s co-founder who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison, was greeted with hugs and smiles by Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, footage released by the ministry showed.

Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishment—particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which Hameed heads—is widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan. Islamabad denies the accusation.

Pakistan has helped facilitate talks between the Taliban and Washington in Qatar over the past year seeking an agreement paving the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents.

The two sides were on the brink of a deal—with an announcement widely expected to be imminent—when US President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process “dead” last month, citing Taliban violence.

Hugs and smiles as Taliban meet Pakistan officials

A group of senior Taliban were warmly welcomed by Pakistani officials as they arrived in Islamabad Thursday, where the foreign minister called for a resumption of talks with the US on the war in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Talibans co-founder who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison, was greeted with hugs and smiles by Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, footage released by the ministry showed. Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishmentparticularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which Hameed headsis widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan. Islamabad denies the accusation. Pakistan has helped facilitate talks between the Taliban and Washington in Qatar over the past year seeking an agreement paving the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents. The two sides were on the brink of a dealwith an announcement widely expected to be imminentwhen US President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process dead last month, citing Taliban violence.