Regional conference backs resumption of Afghan peace talks

ISLAMABAD — A regional conference held in Pakistan on Wednesday ended with calls for the resumption of Afghan-Taliban peace negotiations and an agreement by Islamabad and New Delhi to relaunch bilateral talks that broke down in August over tensions in Kashmir.
Representatives of over two dozen countries met in the Pakistani capital as part of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process initiative, which was launched in 2011 to promote Afghan peace efforts. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani jointly opened the conference amid tight security.