Afghan peace process

COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has rightly reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan peace process. US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Affairs met General Bajwa last week in Islamabad to discuss the overall regional security situation. It has become a matter of perpetual concern that the peace process in Afghanistan is not going as quickly as expected. A major cause for this delay has been related to the Taliban who have persistently failed to reduce violence in the country that has been war-torn for over four-decades now, ever since the Soviet forces intervened in the country in 1979. For the past nearly two decades, we have seen conflict between the Taliban and the US, with the Kabul government playing only a marginalized role.

Now, the peace process is behind schedule and there is a need for the three sides to talk and resolve the matter. The problem from the beginning was that the Taliban consistently refused to talk to the Kabul government. Whether anyone likes it or not, the international community recognizes the Kabul government as a legitimate power with sovereignty. There is a need to fully implement the agreement and for that all officials involved should proceed with caution and lead the inter-Afghan negotiations as stipulated in the February Agreement between the United States and the Taliban. The new negotiations should move forward and serve as a new foundation of peace for a country plagued by one of the longest wars in recent history. With decades of consecutive years of war, it must come to an end now.

The intra-Afghan peace efforts must not remain stalled and since Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah have once again seemingly agreed to work in tandem, the Taliban also must end their political battles with the Afghan government. The most disturbing aspect of this latest episode of violence is that the Taliban are attacking just the Afghan forces and keeping their word on not attacking international forces. Fulfilling their promise is good but this magnanimity should also be extended to their own Afghan brethren. Attacks from the Taliban against Afghan government forces are not a good gesture for the peace process.