Pakistan and Russia will hold high-level talks in Moscow this week on a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan, an Islamabad-based newspaper reported on Monday.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will visit Moscow to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on February 20, according to the Daily Times.

Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying: “We maintain an intensive political dialogue with Islamabad and maintain constructive interaction on international platforms, primarily, the UN.”

The foreign ministers are expected to focus on the role Pakistan and Russia could play in promoting political negotiations on ending the conflict in Afghanistan -- a source of regional instability.

Besides Pakistan, China, Iran and Central Asian states are also in support of Russia’s regional peace initiative for a political solution to the war in Afghanistan.

In this episode of Tawde Khabare host Zabi Sadat discusses the topic with the following guests:

Farooq Zamani, Former head of HPC office

Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed, political analyst

Halim Tanwir, freelance journalist

Qazi Mohammad Hassan Haqyar, political analyst