A delegation from the Taliban, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, will be reaching Islamabad tonight on an official visit, sources told The Correspondent.

He is expected to meet with the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday).

Baradar is currently leading the Taliban’s negotiating team and was previously deputy to Mullah Omar during the latter’s leadership of the Taliban.  

This would be his third visit to the country as an official of the Taliban. He arrived for the first time in 2019 when the peace dialogue had stalled. He arrived for the second time in October 2020 on a similar task.

His third visit comes at a critical juncture, with the deadlock between the Afghan government and the Taliban having been broken and the US withdrawal from the country imminent.

Yesterday (Monday) US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad and Commander Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller called on Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi.

Anas Mallick is an international journalist who has been working as a field reporter for 7+ years now. With a focus on diplomacy, militancy, and conflict, Mallick's expertise involve Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. He tweets at @AnasMallick

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