CMYK
10 October, 2021 I 3 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 106 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Taliban, US diScUSS ‘opening a new page’ in firST TalkS Since pUlloUT
CAIRO the associated press
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ALIBAN representatives asked the United States to lift a ban on Afghan central bank reserves at a meeting with US counterparts in Doha, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister said on Saturday in remarks reported by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television. The minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, also said Washington would offer Afghans coronavirus vaccines, Al-Jazeera reported, after the first senior face-to-face meeting between the two sides since the hardline group took over the country in August following a US troop pullout. The minister added that the Afghan delegation and US counterparts discussed “opening a new page” between the
two countries, adversaries during the United States’ two-decade long occupation of Afghanistan. Washington and other Western countries are grappling with difficult choices as a severe humanitarian crisis looms large over Afghanistan. They are trying to formulate how to engage with the Taliban without granting it the legitimacy it seeks while ensuring humanitarian aid flows into the country. The departure of US-led forces and many international donors robbed the country of grants that financed 75% of public spending, according to the World Bank. Speaking to Reuters earlier in Washington, a US official said that while there was an improvement for humanitarian actors to get access to some areas that they haven’t been to in a decade, problems still persisted,
adding that the US delegation at the Doha talks would press the Taliban to improve. Mutaki also said that the Afghan delegation focus at the meeting was humanitarian aid and implementing Doha agreement. He said the discussions would continue on Saturday and would resume on Sunday. Mutaki added the Afghan delegation will meet European Union representatives to discuss latest developments, but he didn’t mention when the meeting will be held. ‘Talks to revisit the peace accord of 2020’: Earlier in the day, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is based in Doha, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the talks will also revisit the peace agreement the Taliban signed with Washington in 2020. The agreement had paved the way for the final US withdrawal. “Yes there is a meeting… about bilateral relations and implementation of the Doha agreement,” said Shaheen. “It covers various topics.” “Terrorism will also feature in the talks,” said a second official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. Since the Taliban took power, the militant group Islamic State have ramped up attacks on the group, as well as ethnic and religious minorities. On Friday, an IS suicide bomber killed at least 55 worshippers at a Shia mosque and wounded dozens in the deadliest attack since the US departure.
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PDM leaders say ‘early polls only way to take Pakistan forward’ LAHORE staff report
Top leaders of opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) said early elections were the only way to take the country forward amid rising inflation and skyrocketing prices. The demand was put forth by PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif as they addressed a press conference following a meeting at the latter’s residence. Briefing the media, Shahbaz said the country’s political developments were discussed in detail during the meeting. He added that matters related to PDM, skyrocketing inflation, increase in electricity, flour prices, and dengue — which is wreaking havoc in the country — also came under discussion. The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly said all political parties and the masses demand free and fair elections in the country, which is the “only way to take Pakistan forward”. “This is not an easy path; we will have to commit all our energies to it, work, day and night, and only then can we take the country back to the state it was in during 2018 — after that, we can take the country towards progress,” he said. For this, we need to hold free and fair elections, he reiterated. Responding to a question, Shahbaz said if Fazl calls for a long march against the government, he and his party would back him. Shehbaz Sharif asks PM Khan to ‘restore prosperous Pakistan of the past’ President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N) and leader of the opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif Saturday called out the federal government for failing to resolve public issues and demanded that “transparent elections” be held in the country immediately to ‘restore the prosperous Pakistan of the past’. Speaking to media alongside JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Lahore, Shehbaz said holding elections was the quickest way to recommence Pakistan’s journey towards prosperity. “We will have to work day and night and utilise all resources to bring the country back to the pre2018 state,” he told journalists. He reiterated his call for launching a movement against the government over “unprecedented inflation” which he said had caused hardships for the masses. The PML-N leader said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, was united in its cause and that raising a voice against inflation was the right of the people. Shehbaz called out Prime Minister Imran Khan for “improper handling of sensitive matters”, saying “history is a witness to sacrifices rendered by the institution responsible for Pakistan’s defence. Even Modi could not harm it the way Imran did”. Fazl announces new round of rallies: For his part, Fazl said the PDM alliance was steadfast and serious in achieving its goals of ousting the incumbent government — which was the original motive when the alliance was formed in September last year. Fazl said a “historic” public gathering would be held in Faisalabad on October 16 and a large gathering would take place in Dera Ghazi Khan on October 31.
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