The Taliban are under the control of the ISI and every word they speak is tutored as well as monitored.
Meanwhile, US praises Pakistan for its role in talks between Afghan government and Taliban - PTI, Economic TimesAfghan officials are holding talks with Taliban representatives in the Pakistani capital in their first official face-to-face discussions, which the Afghan president said Tuesday were aimed at starting full-fledged negotiations.
The talks in an unannounced location in Islamabad come after repeated informal meetings between Taliban and government representatives, most recently hosted by Qatar and Norway. But the new talks were the first formally acknowledged by the Afghan government — that and the semi-public nature of the talks suggested possible progress after years of frustration in trying to bring the two sides together.
Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, called the holding of the talks ''a major breakthrough'' in comments recorded for Pakistani TV from the Norwegian capital Oslo, where he is on a three-day visit.
He said the overtness of the meeting was a positive development. ''I hope there will be a positive outcome which will certainly be very helpful for peace and stability in Afghanistan,'' he said.
Ghani has enlisted the support of regional countries believed to protect, fund and arm the Taliban, including Pakistan which is pressuring the insurgents to open a channel for peace negotiations, officials and diplomats said. Informal talks in Qatar in May ended on a hopeful note, with the Taliban expressing some flexibility over some issues.
Ghani's office announced Tuesday that a delegation from the government's High Peace Council was travelling to Islamabad to hold the talks. On official from the council said the government representatives include Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai.
The council official said the first session of talks was held Tuesday. However an official with the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that two days of talks would begin on Wednesday. The discrepancy in the timing could not immediately be reconciled.Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Ghani said the talks aim to ''change this meeting into a process of continuing talks,'' as well as to build trust and to develop the agenda for any negotiations, according to a statement by his office.
The president has sought Pakistan's help in bringing the Taliban to negotiations, since it is a traditional ally of the group. Still, Islamabad's hosting of the talks raises suspicion among some Afghan politicians, who believe Pakistan is aiming to wield dominance over their country.
Nasrullah Sadieqizada, an Afghan parliament member, called the talks ''Pakistani propaganda.'' {This man seems to know Pakistan very well !}
"The United States welcomes talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. This is an important step in advancing prospects for a credible peace," White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters.
"The United States commends the government of Afghanistan's prioritisation of peace and reconciliation efforts with the Taliban. We both acknowledge and appreciate Pakistan's important efforts to host these conversations," he said.
Earnest was responding to questions about reports of direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban in Pakistan.
The US, he said, has been encouraging the Afghans to participate in an Afghan-led process that would bring about a political reconciliation in Afghanistan and a de-escalation, if not an end, to the violence that has racked that country for more than a decade now.
"That's a process that we're going to continue to be supportive of, but ultimately it's a process that must be led by the Afghan people and the Afghan government, of course," Earnest said.
them to compensate Pakistan for the economic losses it has sustained due to climate change.
'lucky winners of this corruption lottery'.
