Pakistan cautions Kabul on Taliban peace hopes

17.02.2012

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has cautioned Afghanistan that it would be ”preposterous” to expect Islamabad to deliver Taliban leader Mullah Omar for peace talks.

Khar spoke Friday after talks between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan about what Islamabad could do to help the peace process.

Pakistan is seen as key because many of the Taliban’s leaders, including Omar, are believed to be based on its territory.

Khar says Afghanistan has not explained how exactly Kabul wants Islamabad to help.

Her remarks suggest little progress had been made in the meetings in Islamabad.

She said that if Kabul has ”unrealistic, almost ridiculous expectations,” then there is no ”common ground to begin with.”