PESHAWAR - Islamabad on Thursday asked the Taliban’s new leadership to shun the insurgency and return to reconciliation talks with the national unity government in Kabul.

A Foreign Office spokesman told a weekly media briefing in Islamabad reaffirmed Pakistan’s willingness to facilitate the peace dialogue. He hoped the groupwould shun violence.

A second round o the Pakistan-brokered peace talks were postponed in the wake of disclosure of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar’s death in late July. Subsequent attacks in Kabul strained relations between the neighbours.

Qazi Khalilullah, the foreign ministry spokesman acknowledged the crunch issue between the two countries was to restore confidence that was eroded due to recent events.

“Peace in Afghanistan is important not only for the people of that country but also for the people of Pakistan and the region,” the official remarked, hoping the talks would resume with the resolution of Taliban’s succession rift.

He ruled out a presence of the Islamic State in Pakistan. “However, there are reports of a Daesh presence in Afghanistan, but I will not comment on that. Our policy on countering terrorism is very clear…” (Pajhwok)