Il Nuovo Postiglione - Pakistan says holding talks with Afghan government in China

The meeting in the northwestern city of Urumqi comes after Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelled to Beijing on Tuesday to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

The pair discussed Islamabad's role in trying to get the United States and Iran to the negotiating table, and set out a joint five-point plan for an end to the conflict.

Dar returned to Islamabad on Wednesday with Chinese backing for Pakistan's diplomatic efforts, which saw foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey meet in the Pakistani capital last weekend.

China has sought to mediate in the escalating conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has sent a special envoy and pledged to play a "constructive role in de-escalating tensions".

Pakistan says it is targeting extremists who have carried out cross-border attacks, but authorities in Kabul deny harbouring militants.

There was no immediate comment about the talks from Pakistan's foreign ministry and military when contacted by AFP, or from the Afghan government.

However, a senior Pakistani security official said: "A delegation led by an official from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in Urumqi to hold talks with the Afghan Taliban.

"The meeting is taking place at the request of our Chinese friends."

A second senior government official also confirmed the talks, adding: "The meeting is to set a base for full-scale dialogue."

The first official said Pakistan's demands from Afghanistan "remain unchanged", urging Kabul to "take verifiable action" against extremists and "end any support for the group".

It also wants to "ensure that Afghan territory is not used as a base for launching attacks against Pakistan".

- 'Calm and restraint' -

Pakistan is one of China's closest partners in the region and Beijing has called for "calm and restraint" in Islamabad's conflict with Afghanistan.

The meeting is the first significant engagement after earlier mediation efforts facilitated by Qatar and Turkey failed to achieve a lasting ceasefire, prompting Islamabad to launch a major military operation that included airstrikes deep inside Afghanistan.

The conflict intensified on February 26, a few days after Pakistani airstrikes, followed by a ground offensive by Afghan forces.

Both sides announced a truce for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

Islamabad said the truce has since ended but no major attacks have been reported.

The truce came two days after a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital, which the Afghan authorities said killed more than 400 people.

Islamabad maintains that its bombing was a precision strike against "military installations and terrorist support infrastructure".

F.Ciambrone--INP