KABUL: Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special representative for peace in Afghanistan, has responded to recent comments by Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Army.
Khalilzad wrote on his X this morning, that Mr. Chaudhry’s interpretation of the Doha Agreement between the Islamic Emirate and the U.S., suggesting that the document pertains to issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is incorrect.
He urged Pakistan to agree to a security agreement between Kabul and Islamabad with third-party oversight.
According to Khalilzad, this agreement should ensure that the territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan are not used against each other.
He emphasized that Kabul is ready to enter such an agreement and stated that the ball is now in Islamabad’s court. Khalilzad wrote: “Based on recent discussions with Afghan leaders, I believe they are prepared to negotiate such an agreement, which could be a game changer for relations between these two neighbors. The ball is now in Pakistan’s court.”
The former U.S. official stressed that agreeing to such a deal would be in the mutual interests of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It is noteworthy that the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate has also reacted to Chaudhry’s statements, condemning them and urging Pakistani officials to refrain from making logically unfounded remarks about Afghanistan. Sharif Chaudhry recently made comments at a press conference about the government and social structures in Afghanistan.