Talks about talks are again on the frontpages. The Afghan government is ready to talk peace with the Taleban if it shows faith by accepting the Constitution and participating in the coming elections.
Talks about talks are again on the frontpages. The Afghan government is ready to talk peace with the Taleban if it shows faith by accepting the Constitution and participating in the coming elections.Janan Mosazai, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), said the government is ready to talk with Taleban to secure peace in the country. “Participating in the coming election and getting the trust of the people are conditions for the Taleban to join the peace process,” he told the media.
The Taleban can prove they can be trusted by accepting the Constitution, and “a presence in politics, respecting cultural, economic and security achievements”, the spokesman stated.
This is not first time the Afghan government is making the offer. Both President Hamid Karzai and Fazal Ahmad Manawi, chief of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), have invited the Taleban to enter the political field and accept democratic principles to secure power.
The peace process should adhere to legal safeguards, civil society observers warn. Writer and journalist, Nawid Elham, says: “Any type of peace that ensures security is the main request of the Afghan people. But the government must not ignore legal realities under the pretext of peace building and insist on a ‘deal’ with opponents. The opponents have always showed antagonism in their positions on peace in summits, like in Paris last month. They are not willing to talk directly to the government.”
Release of prisoners: beneficial or detrimental?
Pakistan released eight Taleban prisoners, including former Afghan justice minister, Nooruddin Turabi, in order to facilitate the peace process in Afghanistan. In November 18 Taleban prisoners were set free at the request of the High Peace Council delegation on a visit to Islamabad.
Aqil Yusufzai, Pakistani journalist, told Killid the release was a positive step. “Important personalities are among the released. They still have wide influence among the Taleban and can be proved beneficial in the coming peace process.”
While the Karzai government has welcomed the release, National Assembly members have expressed reservations.
Senator from Bamiyan, Hedayatullah Rehayee, said: “The release of Taleban prisoners is by itself a good move providing they join the Afghan government and side with the Afghan people.”
Senator from Kunar, Rafiullah Haidari, urged the government to clarify if the decision to release the prisoners was “coordinated” with the High Peace Council. The chairman of the National Assembly, Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, has summoned High Peace Council members to the assembly “on coming Wednesday to give us details” about Pakistan’s action on the last day of 2012.
The released Taleban prisoners “must” have a role in the peace process, Muslimyar asserts.
The international affairs adviser to the High Peace Council, Mohammad Ismail Qasemyar, is optimistic. “I think the process (release of prisoners) will continue, and those remaining will be released. We welcome the action and see it as both a positive and practical step. We hope the released people will help the peace process and work for peace in Afghanistan.”
Road to peace or sabotage?
The Taleban have announced their conditions for returning to the peace table, which include a demand for changes in the Constitution. The (present) laws have no value for us,” Taleban representatives who attended the Paris meeting said in a statement. “They have been compiled under B-52 (US bombers) of the aggressors … Taleban have suggested a new constitution … based on Islamic principles, Afghan customs and national interests.”
Observers say the pre-conditions are akin to “sabotaging the peace process”.
Writer Nawid Elham observes that while discussions on drawing the Taleban into the peace process are a “requirement” but “suggesting pre-conditions sabotages the peace process and shows a double game is going on. The government expresses its satisfaction and support for peace talks and makes conditional the basic policies of its opponents that encourage the opponents’ resistance and antagonism.” He wondered how the Taleban could interpret their pre-conditions for talks as “support for people’s rights”.
Shahabuddin Delawar, Taleban representative in the Paris talks, said there are two aspects to the peace process: an external and internal dimension. While the “internal” relates to Afghans, there is need for negotiations with the US to solve the “external” dimension. The Taleban’s move to open a political office in Qatar last year was an attempt to open the door for negotiations with the US, he said.
The Taleban want to see an end to the occupation of Afghanistan, Delawar clarified. This condition was central to the Taleban demands at the two-day meeting organised by a Paris-based research organisation. A few French defence and foreign-affairs officials also participated.
Dr Latif Nazari, political analyst and lecturer at Gharjestan, a private university, reiterated civil society’s concerns that “justice should not become a victim of peace”. He told Killid, “Most of the political parties and Afghan people support the peace, but the issue that they insist on is that justice should not become victim of the peace.” He warned that “generally there are many ambiguities in the peace process” and it must be made clear that justice will not be pushed to the margins. “If this happens and there is peace, it will not be a stable peace,” he predicted.
