Taliban won't negotiate with Kabul till Ghani remains President: Imran Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Afghan Taliban had conveyed to him that they will not negotiate with Kabul as long as Ashraf Ghani remains the president of Afghanistan.

Geo News in a report said that Imran Khan said this while speaking to foreign journalists, recalling his meeting with a Taliban delegation that arrived in Pakistan a few months ago.

Imran Khan said he had then tried to persuade the Taliban for peace. He also admitted that a political settlement was looking difficult under the current circumstances, with the Taliban making rapid advances in Afghanistan.

"The condition is that as long as Ashraf Ghani is there, we (Taliban) are not going to talk to the Afghan government," Khan said, quoting what the Taliban delegation told him.

He said that he felt that the Afghan government was now trying to ensure the US government intervenes on its behalf.

"They've been here for 20 years... what will they do now that they did not do for 20 years?" he asked.

Khan said Pakistan had "made it very clear" that it does not want any American military bases on its soil after US forces exit Afghanistan. (UNI)