PEACE talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban ended positively, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

One-day talks were held at the resort town of Murree, near the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Representatives of China and the US were also present.

Both sides “expressed their collective desire to bring peace to Afghanistan and the region,” a ministry statement said. “Participants recognised the need to develop confidence-building measures to engender trust among all stakeholders.”

The next meeting would be held on a mutually convenient date after Ramadan ends.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the talks, praising Pakistan as host and thanking the US and China for taking part.

But Afghan MP Nasrullah Sadieqizada called the talks “Pakistani propaganda,” expressing Afghan fears of domination by its neighbour.