Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on a tour of the region that will also include Middle Eastern stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia The State Department had earlier announced that Khalilzad’s mission is to coordinate and lead US efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table ISLAMABAD: The new American diplomat tasked with finding a peaceful end to Afghanistan’s 17- year war is in Pakistan to seek the new government’s help pushing the Taliban to the table. A former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan on a tour of the region that will also include Middle Eastern stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The trip was announced in a US Embassy statement Tuesday. The State Department had earlier announced that Khalilzad’s mission is to coordinate and lead US efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. He began his tour Oct. 4. His mission comes against the backdrop of a Taliban statement issued Monday condemning parliamentary elections later this month and threatening more attacks on Afghan security forces.