Pakistani PM Khan to urge Trump to restart Afghan peace talks with Taliban

Pakistani PM Imran Khan said on Wednesday that he would urge US President Donald Trump next week to revive Afghanistan peace talks with the Taliban militant group, Reuters reports. Trump abruptly canceled secret talks with the Taliban that were planned for September 8.

“It will be a big tragedy if these talks don’t make headway,” Khan said at a ceremony at Pakistan’s Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan. Khan will meet Trump in New York on Monday, and will emphasize that there had been “destruction and chaos in Afghanistan for the last 40 years.”

“We will put our best [effort] that these talks are resumed again,” the PM said, adding that his next role would have been to convince the Taliban to open talks with the Afghan government. Khan is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly while in New York.

The PM also said there was “no chance of talks” with India about its clampdown on the disputed territory of Kashmir until it lifted a curfew for people there.