A unified front and stronger relations are necessary to fight terrorism and bring sustainable peace to the region, analysts on both sides of the border say.
By skipping a Tashkent summit on Afghanistan, the Taliban might have hurt their own cause, observers and participants say.
Despite repeated calls to participate in the Afghan-led peace process, the Taliban refused to attend the international conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The conference demonstrates international support for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, stakeholders say. The Taliban failed to participate.
The Taliban has not yet confirmed whether they will attend a high-level conference in the Uzbekistani capital next week.
An intensifying air and ground campaign is 'only going to get worse' for the Taliban, said US Gen. John Nicholson.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer to the Taliban was 'a dignified process for reaching a political framework', a US diplomat said.
The Afghan government outlined its offer for peace --- which comes without any preconditions -- at the second round of the Kabul Process peace conference
Uzbekistan is demonstrating its readiness to support the Afghan government's effort to build a peaceful future, officials and specialists say.
The talks, which came at the end of a three-day visit by UN Security Council representatives, focused on political, socio-economic, human rights and security issues in Afghanistan.
![Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meet April 6 at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. [Afghan Presidential Palace]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/04/06/12154-pakistani_pm-354_199.jpg)
![Participants of the Tashkent Conference on March 27 discuss ways to achieve peace in Afghanistan. [Uzbekistani presidential press office]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/30/12088-05-354_199.jpg)
![Representatives from more than 20 countries and international organisations attended the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan, which concluded March 27, to reach a consensus on the Afghan peace process, security co-operation and regional connectivity. [Afghan Presidential Palace]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/28/12054-fixed-354_199.jpg)
![Uzbekistani officials discuss co-operation during a panel session in Tashkent March 24. [Conference press office]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/26/12036-01-14-354_199.jpg)
![Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaking at the Presidential Palace March 21, said, 'War is not the solution, and those who continue fighting will face the nation.' Ghani and other high-ranking officials from more than 12 countries are expected to attend a conference in Uzbekistan next week on ending the conflict in Afghanistan. [Afghan Presidential Palace]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/22/11981-ghani-354_199.jpg)
![Gen. John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, speaks to reporters at Bagram Airfield March 14. [Thomas Watkins/AFP]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/14/11872-000_12i1tu-354_199.jpg)
![Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (centre) February 28 offered a conditional plan for peace talks with the Taliban, including the recognition of the militants as a political group. The offer came two days after the Taliban called for direct talks with the United States to find a "peaceful solution" to the conflict in Afghanistan, in an apparent policy shift after months of escalating attacks. [Shah Marai/AFP]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/06/11750-000_11g0z3-354_199.jpg)
![Representatives of more than 20 countries, including the US, as well as the United Nations, took part in the second conference of the Kabul Process on February 28. Ghani initiated the first session last June. [Afghan Presidential Palace]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/03/02/11694-kabul_process_ii-354_199.jpg)
![Afghan students gather at a new educational centre in Termez January 21. [Uzbekistan National News Agency]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/02/16/11411-05-4-354_199.jpg)
![UN Security Council representatives pose for a picture in Kabul on January 15, 2018, after a three-day visit to Afghanistan. [Afghanistan Presidential Palace]](/cnmi_st/images/2018/01/16/11107-ARG_1-354_199.jpg)