Peace talks in Afghanistan must resume as soon as possible, Pakistan and the Taliban urged on Thursday, after President Donald Trump broke off negotiations last month seeking to end the United States' longest war.

Earlier in September, Trump canceled an unprecedented meeting between the Taliban and himself at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington in retaliation for the alleged killing of a U.S. soldier by the Taliban in a Kabul bomb blast last week, deeming the talks "dead."

"Both sides agreed on the need for the earliest resumption of the peace process," Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement on Thursday after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the group's founders in Islamabad.

The U.S. embassy in the Pakistani capital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States has long considered Pakistan's cooperation crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan.

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The meeting came as Zalmay Khalilzad, the top U.S. envoy involved in the peace talks, also visited Islamabad for talks with the government, although it was not clear if he would have any contact with the Taliban.

The latest development follows a meeting last week between Trump and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A pause in the bloodshed would help smooth the way to an agreement, Pakistan's foreign minister said.

"It was emphasized that reduction of violence by all parties to the conflict was necessary," the ministry said, adding that such a step would help to speed resumption of the peace effort.

The visits come as Afghanistan awaits the results of last weekend's presidential election which will decide whether President Ashraf Ghani will win a second five-year term, fending off a challenge from his top rival, Abdullah Abdullah.

Preliminary election results are not due until October 19, and if the leading candidate doesn't secure more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two will run off in a second round.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (R) welcomes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is leading Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation, upon his arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Islamabad, Pakistan, October 3, 2019. /Reuters Photo)