Pakistan will not support Taliban peace talks without Afghanistan's backing: Khar

Islamabad, Feb 22 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said her country will not support a US-driven initiative to start Afghan peace talks in Qatar unless it gets full backing from Kabul.

he Guardian quoted Khar as saying that even last week's visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Islamabad had failed clarify whether he really wanted his government to hold talks with the Taliban in Qatar.

"We are waiting for him to determine the course of action of his government and once that is done, we will want to be seen to be fully supporting it... The messages from Kabul are a bit confusing. At first they say they are supporting it but they say they are recalling their ambassador because they think they have not been taken into confidence," Khar said.

"For us, the dangers of being supportive of something where there is not enough clarity on whether the Afghan government is fully behind it, fully owns it, fully drives it, are too high. The stakes are far too high."

"What we expect of Afghanistan and the Karzai government is that they share very clearly with the rest of the world and with us what it is they truly want to do. Yes, they want the path towards peace and reconciliation. They have already said that. But how do they plan to achieve it?" she added.

The Taliban has announced its readiness to negotiate with the international community in the Gulf state and has moved some of its officials there with the encouragement of US and other western governments. (ANI)