The three-day Afghan Peace Conference, earlier scheduled to commence from July 17 in Islamabad, has been postponed until after Eidul Azha, the Foreign Office said on Friday.

According to the FO, the new dates of the conference will be announced later.

The Foreign Office had earlier said in a statement that Pakistan was set to host the conference from July 17 to July 19 “to provide momentum to the ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan”.

Afghanistan’s political leadership was also invited to the conference.

According to Tolo News, 21 prominent Afghan leaders including Abdullah Abdullah, Karim Khalili, Mohammad Younus Qanooni, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Salahuddin Rabbani, Ismail Khan, Ata Mohammad Noor, Sayed Hamed Gailani, Sayed Eshaq Gailani, Batur Dostum and Mirwais Yasini were invited to the conference in the capital city of Pakistan.

Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri had said a number of aforementioned persons had already confirmed their participation.

“The aim of the forthcoming peace conference is to engage with and consult all sides on the Afghan peace process. We hope that this conference will provide impetus to the ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan,” the spokesman had said, while explaining the objective of the conference.

The conference in Islamabad was planned at a time when withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is nearing completion and the Taliban have made significant territorial gains.

“As the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is nearing completion, we remain concerned at the evolving security situation in Afghanistan. We once again reiterate the imperative of a political settlement in Afghanistan,” Mr Chaudhri said.

He had urged the international community to remain engaged with Afghanistan after the departure of foreign forces. “Promoting reconstruction and economic development in the post-conflict Afghanistan is important for ensuring sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he had said.