US, Taliban Peace agreement to be signed today

The United States (US) and Taliban are due to sign the historic peace agreement on 29 February that will lead to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops and the start of comprehensive peace talks between the Afghan government and the insurgents.

Under the Doha agreement, US forces will be withdrawn from Afghanistan, while the Taliban guarantee that the Afghan territory will not be used by the terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda.

Representatives from 50 countries including Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will attend the ceremony.

The agreement between the United States and the Taliban in Doha, the capital of Qatar, will prove to be the best milestone not only in historical perspective but also on peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan.

The Doha peace agreement will not only end the nineteen-year war between the US and the Taliban, but also pave the way for lasting peace in the region, including Pakistan. Under the Doha agreement, full ceasefire will be ensured in Afghanistan; follow-up of the agreement will include talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government for permanent peace. The agreement will pave the way for the evacuation of 14,000 US and 17,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan.

There have been several successful and unsuccessful periods of the ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban in 2018, the result of these negotiations and the desire for peace from the sides, facilitating the signing of the US and Taliban on the Afghan peace agreement in Doha.

Schedule of peace agreement

A new schedule of signing a peace agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban has emerged, according to which the peace agreement will take place at 05:45 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

According to the schedule, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will hold a press conference at 6:30 pm PST after signing the agreement.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says the Doha agreement will end the United States’ longest war on the planet and will be a ray of hope and light for the Afghan people.

US President Donald Trump has said that the Afghan people take advantage of the opportunity, a peace treaty can provide a new future.

Donald Trump also said that according to his instructions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will attend the conciliation ceremony with Taliban representatives.

On the other hand, Sohail Shaheen, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said there was no major incident in Afghanistan in seven days. We will move forward once the agreement is signed.

Shaheen further said that Pakistan is a neighboring country with which we have cultural and historical ties. Around 4 million Afghans have been in Pakistan for 40 years, there are still 2 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, even during the Russian intervention.

He said that Pakistan has always supported peaceful solution to the Afghan problem, the Afghan Taliban wants Afghanistan to become a peace and trade, we want good relations with all neighboring countries including Pakistan because good relations are in the best interests of all.