ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday denied media reports about a meeting having taken place between Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Afghan Taliban delegation.
Earlier on Thursday, reports even by the mainstream media stated that the visiting 12-membe Afghan Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad and deliberated the Afghan peace process.
As per media reports, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed were also present in the meeting.
However, Firdous Ashiq Awan today dispelled such claims by various media outlets, and categorically said that no meeting was held between the prime minister and the Afghan Taliban, and all news published and broadcast in that regard were incorrect.
The special assistant said that the delegation of the Taliban Political Commission (TPC) in Doha met the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, and it was a good omen for the Afghan reconciliation process.
Also Read: Pakistan and Taliban agree on need for earliest resumption of Afghan peace process
Dr Firdous hoped that the meeting would soon yield fruitful results. She said that it was a proof of the fact that Pakistan has always played a vital role in creating a cordial environment for the regional and global peace.
طالبان پولیٹیکل کمیشن کے وفد کے ساتھ گزشتہ روز دفتر خارجہ میں مذاکرات کا انعقاد مفاہمتی عمل کے لیے نیک شگون ہے۔یہ عمل اس امر کا ثبوت ہے کہ پاکستان نے ہمیشہ علاقائی اور عالمی امن کیلئے مثبت ماحول پیدا کرنے میں گراں قدر کردار ادا کیا ہے۔
— Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousPTI) October 4, 2019
گزشتہ روز طالبان وفد کی وزیر خارجہ سے ملاقات اسی سلسلے کی کڑی تھی۔پر امید ہے کہ اس سے عنقریب مثبت نتائج حاصل ہوں گے۔تاہم وزیراعظم سے طالبان وفد کی کوئی ملاقات نہیں ہوئی ۔اس ضمن میں نشر اور شائع ہونے والی خبروں میں صداقت نہیں۔
— Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousPTI) October 4, 2019
