Karzai seeks help from Taliban ‘father’

The meeting between the two was held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday, Haq and Afghan officials said.

The Afghan president was in Islamabad from Thursday to Saturday to attend a tripartite summit, also attended by his Iranian and Pakistani counterparts, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Asif Ali Zardari.

Haq — known as the spiritual father of the Taliban movement — said that he had told Karzai he was ready to help bring Taliban leaders to the negotiation table if the Afghan president and his government had some precise offers and demands.

“What can I convey to the Taliban if their demands and offers for solutions are not clear?” Haq said.

“Unless there’s a concrete process in place, then things can’t move forward.”

The cleric runs a large seminary in the northwest of Pakistan where many of the Taliban leaders — including the group’s chief, Mullah Omar — once studied.

Karzai admitted in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which was published on Thursday, that talks had taken place among the United States, the Afghan government, and the militants over the past month.

Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabian source says the kingdom will only cooperate with the Taliban if the group lays down its arms.

GJH/MF/HN

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