UPDATE - Pakistan reaffirms commitment to Afghan peace process

UPDATES WITH UN ENVOY'S MEETING WITH PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER, CHANGES DECK, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Monday said it would continue to play a mediatory role with "sincerity" and "seriousness" for a peaceful resolution of a lingering conflict in neighboring Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has been playing a mediatory role vis-à-vis Afghan peace process under a shared responsibility. We will continue to play this role for a meaningful dialogue between the Afghan leadership in order to bring an end to the conflict”, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said during a meeting with UN special representative for Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Not only the reconciliation process, Qureshi said, but Islamabad would also play a role in rebuilding of the war-stricken country.

Yamamoto, who is on a day-long visit to Pakistan, hailed Islamabad’s role regarding the peace process and rebuilding of Afghanistan, the statement said.

Earlier, the UN special representative had a meeting with Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood.

During the meeting, Mahmood reaffirmed his country’s commitment to push forward an ongoing fragile reconciliation process in neighboring Afghanistan, the ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said in a tweet.

Mahmood also underlined his country's support for peace and development in the war-ravaged country.

The meetings followed the ongoing seventh round of Pakistan-sponsored direct talks between the U.S. and Taliban in Doha.

Late last month, Islamabad invited several Afghan groups to discuss ways to accelerate the otherwise sluggish peace process in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is also planning to meet Afghan Taliban leaders to push the peace process forward, according to his political adviser Naeem ul Haq.