Pakistani officials say Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is traveling to Qatar on February 6 for planned talks on a possible peace deal to end the 10-year war in Afghanistan.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that Gilani’s visit will involve both bilateral talks with Qatari officials, as well as a broader discussion on Afghanistan.

Gilani’s trip comes several days after Pakistan’s foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, returned from talks in Afghanistan saying Pakistan could help assist the Taliban and other insurgent groups launch peace talks.

Pakistan has been accused of hampering peace efforts in Afghanistan by assisting militants from the Taliban and Haqqani network.

A classified NATO reportobtained by news agencies last week alleged that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, is “intimately involved” with helping the Afghan insurgency direct attacks against foreign troops.

The Afghan Taliban last month announced it was establishing a political office in Qatar, a move seen as progress toward direct peace talks.

Copyright © 2012, RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Source Article from http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan_taliban_peace_talks_qatar_afghanistan/24474859.html

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