Pakistan is likely to host a conference on Afghanistan’s peace, and efforts are being made to hold the event at a high level between the Afghan government and the Taliban, sources from the Presidential Palace and the High Council for National Reconciliation said. 

The Taliban said they are not aware of any conference. 

In Doha, two meetings have been held within the last two weeks between negotiators from both sides. It was agreed that the meetings must continue, negotiators told TOLOnews.

Palace and HCNR sources said that the potential Pakistan conference has not been finalized, but both sides have held discussions over it. 

“Pakistanis say that one request of the Afghan officials was for Pakistan to organize a meeting with them and the Taliban leadership, but it has not happened so far, and now, too, I don’t think that it will be possible in the near future,” said Tahir Khan, a Pakistani journalist. 

The meeting on Afghan peace was considered after Pakistan Amy Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa’s trip to Kabul where he met with President Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. The meeting is seen as important to take the Taliban toward a political agreement. 

“During the trips made by Pakistani officials to Afghanistan, we witnessed what is apparently a positive change to end the war and ensure peace in Afghanistan in Pakistan’s policy (toward Afghanistan),” said Enayatullah Babur Farahmand, the deputy head of the reconciliation council. 

But the Taliban negotiating team in Doha did not confirm attempts to hold the meeting. 

“How possible is this? I think that the Taliban will not accept. The Taliban wants to negotiate with the Afghan side in Qatar, Istanbul or in another place--without Pakistan,” university lecturer Faizullah Zaland said. 

Efforts are also underway to hold a successful conference in Turkey on Afghanistan’s peace.  

“Turkey wants to see the peace process move forward, so do we, so does the world, so does US, and the Afghan people,” Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in an interview with TRT World on Monday. 

Amid the start of the withdrawal of US and coalition forces from Afghanistan, parts of the country have witnessed heavy clashes between government forces and the Taliban. This has left the people with concerns over the country’s future once all foreign troops have left Afghanistan. 

However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a news conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said that NATO remains committed to its partnership with Afghanistan. 

“We will continue to help the Afghan people and contribute to the peace efforts, including with continued training and funding of the Afghan security forces,” Stoltenberg said. 

As the US military carries out President Joe Biden’s order to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by September, the Pentagon insists the US commitment to the region is not wavering. 

“Just because we are removing our troops and ending our military mission in Afghanistan doesn't mean that we're walking away from the region,” Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday. 

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. 

According to an AP report, last week Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, said negotiations with Afghanistan's neighbors for overflight rights and troop basing are “moving forward” but will take time. 

On Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Pakistan's chief of Army staff, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.  The Pentagon didn't get specific about what the two military leaders discussed, other than to say they talked about "shared regional interests and objectives."