ISLAMABAD - The United States has asked Pakistan to make the talks with Afghanistan “result oriented” as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells continued to hold talks with the Pakistani officials here on Friday, The Nation learnt.

This is Ambassador Wells’ second visit to Pakistan this year aimed at continuing the conversation to strengthen “bilateral relations and promote peace and security” in the region.

Senior officials at the foreign ministry said that Wells and other US diplomats in Washington had conveyed to Pakistan that Islamabad would have to make “sincere efforts” to make the talks “result oriented” for the sake of regional peace.

One official said: “The US believes Pakistan’s talks with Kabul are more important than the dialogue with Washington. The US thinks the Pak-US ties will automatically improve, if the Afghan issue is resolved.”

He added: “Pakistan has been counting its successes in the war on terror and its efforts to improve the trust level with Afghanistan. We have been trying to convince the US that it is Afghanistan who is not cooperating as it should. The prime minister, [Shahid Khaqan Abbasi] is aiming positive meetings in Kabul.”

Another official said Pakistan had shared the details of “Afghanistan attitude” towards peace efforts with Alice Wells.

“We have asked them [the US] to put some pressure on Afghanistan as well to make the dialogue process meaningful,” he said.

This week, Pakistan confirmed that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will visit Afghanistan soon for talks for regional peace.

Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said the visit would be part of continuous engagement for peace in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had invited the prime minister to visit his country during National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua’s recent visit.

Pakistan believes dialogue with the Taliban is the only way out for resolution of the Afghanistan issue.

On March 26-27, Uzbekistan hosted a two-day Afghanistan peace conference in the capital, Tashkent.

In attendance were more than 20 countries including representatives from Central Asian countries, the United States, Germany, China, Pakistan and Russia.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif represented Pakistan.

Asif emphasised the need for a regional approach for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

He appreciated Uzbekistan and its leadership on this regional initiative for peace in Afghanistan and cooperation on counter-terrorism and connectivity.

The minister reiterated Pakistan’s support for President Ghani’s national peace and reconciliation plan unveiled during the Kabul process meeting on February 28, and his offer of peace talks to the Taliban under an Afghan-led and owned process.

He said there was a need of collective pressure on Taliban to avail this opportunity to shun violence and join the peace process.

The minister expressed concern over unchecked proliferation of Daesh and phenomenal increase in the drug production in Afghanistan.

A day earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said Pakistan had always supported an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has reiterated that only through political reconciliation, wherein all warring factions begin a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue with the Afghan government, can lasting peace be achieved in Afghanistan. We have supported the Afghanistan-related initiatives in this context,” he said.

Faisal said Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan remained unchanged.

“During our NSA’s recent visit to Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani invited Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to Afghanistan at a convenient time, an offer that he has accepted. It is a welcoming development, and part of our continuous dialogue and engagement with Afghanistan and the international community for a lasting solution to the Afghan problem. It is true that peace in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to Pakistan’s peace and stability,” he said.

On Ambassador Wells’ visit, Faisal said, she was due to meet other senior officials in the next few days.

“The two countries are maintaining regular engagement to address the common challenges and take the relationship forward. We are trying to find the common ground,” he added.

In her meeting with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Wells delivered a strong message of “do a lot more” to Pakistan.

All through the recent tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the US has been pressing both the sides to resolve the issues on the table instead of engaging in a conflict.

But US itself preferred to use force against the militants, ignoring Pakistan’s calls for peace talks.

Pakistan says it is against confrontation but expected Afghanistan to act against the terrorists’ sanctuaries.

After Pakistan’s serious reaction to the wave of terror last year, the two sides settled for a tentative peace agreement when Kabul promised to act against terrorists’ sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

However, they also handed a list of 32 alleged training centres inside Pakistan.