Mr Tariq Rizwan
Afghanistan enjoys a tremendous geostrategic importance and is
considered a bridge between the warm waters and the minerals laden Central Asia
and Eurasia. Such importance proved to be disadvantageous as the country
remained a battle ground among the regional and extra regional powers coupled
by the wary local Pashtun traditions. Indeed, the country’s importance is
intact and the instable Afghanistan is considered the only stumbling block in
the way of cooperation between South, Central Asia, Eurasia and the world at
large. The recent quadrilateral talks among the major stake holders i.e
Pakistan, Afghanistan, US and China appears to be an understanding of what
needs to be done. Yet the moves lack clarity on how to achieve peace and
prosperity in war torn country.
The talks held on 11January,
2016 in Islamabad were aimed at kick starting the negotiations for a final
peace settlement in Afghanistan. It emphasized the need for another round of
dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban and sought to revive the
process that collapsed last summer round, after Afghanistan announced that
Mullah Mohammad Omar, founder and leader of the Taliban, had died
allegedly in a Pakistani hospital more than two years ago. The move was a
willful act by some elements in Kabul to derail the talks between the two
sides. The announcement led the Taliban to pull out of the talks after just one
meeting hosted by Islamabad.
On the eve of the talks held in
Islamabad, Mr Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, has said that
"the primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create
conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them
incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as
a tool for pursuing political goals". The move emphasized the
immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the Afghanistan
government and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims
to preserve Afghanistan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Quadrilateral Coordination
Group - comprising representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US
is scheduled to meet again in Kabul on January 18 to continue discussions on a
roadmap. Meanwhile, a former Taliban senior official said that "military
confrontation is not the solution" and that a "political
solution" was needed to end the war in Afghanistan. The situation has
changed and the Afghan government, America and Pakistan seem to have a
readiness for dialogue. America has realized that a military confrontation is
not the solution.
As compared to the past, the move has the backing of military
establishments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan as revealed by the frequent
meetings of the two sides in the recent past. Gen Raheel Sharif and his Afghan
counterpart have agreed to share terror related information. The fresh move
seems to have their go ahead and likely destined to success. The recent IS
suicide attack on Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad on 13 January 2016, reflects
the serious threat, posed by the group and needs a joint counter strategy.
Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai, while addressing a seminar
in Islamabad on 13 January 2016, said that majority of militants fleeing
operations in Pakistan joined the Afghan chapter of IS group and claimed that
IS has become a major threat in the region.
Given the fluid situation that the Taliban have found themselves
under the leadership of Mullah Mansoor still appears to be contested and it is
not clear which factions will emerge victorious in the intra-Taliban struggles.
They remained divided into groups as in the past. Mulla Rasool
Akhund group rejects Mullan Umer’s successor Mulla Akhter Mansoor's authority.
He has dismissed any talks under the mediation of the US or China or of Pakistan.
His deputy Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, has told Reuters on 11 January, "We
have a very clear-cut stance about peace talks: all the foreign occupying
forces would need to be withdrawn. The issue is between the Afghans, and only
the Afghans can resolve it. We would not allow any third force to mediate."
Though efforts were made to overcome the trust deficit between
the two sides as evident from the frequent visits of both civil and military
high ups, yet Pakistan and Afghanistan need to continue such parleys to see the
dream of peaceful Afghanistan and the region comes true. From a
Pakistani security standpoint, military or police action against Taliban
factions could also trigger a domestic militancy backlash, a factor that simply
should not be discounted in order to pursue foreign policy goals. Improving
border management is a better idea and the visit of Pakistan’s DGMO to Kabul
shows all out sincerity on the part of Pakistan.
There are reports that Pakistan has offered some Taliban names
with whom the Afghan government could potentially hold talks. There should be
no delay and the quadrilateral group has to make peace achievable before the
next fighting season begins. Mr Sartaj Aziz, has suggested not to put any
precondition by any side as it is problematic. It would not be possible to
bring the sides on negotiating table. Afghan government should not demand that
action, military or otherwise, be taken against Taliban elements that it has
deemed irreconcilable.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has
remained the most peaceful country due its political system based on Islamic
Sharia. Hence, the Taliban’s demand of constitutional reforms in the war torn
country based on Islamic Sharia is not a bad option. Moreover, Afghans have the
history of zero tolerance towards foreign forces on its territory and US can
seriously think over their demand of complete withdrawal of its forces from
Afghanistan. The regional and extra regional powers can consider these demands
seriously to see lasting peace in the region in general and Afghanistan in
particular.
The writer is a free lance journalist based in London
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