After four meetings between high-level officials from China, US, Pakistan and Afghanistan it has been decided that the first direct talks with the Taleban will be hosted by Pakistan in early March.
On the sidelines of the fourth round in Kabul on Feb 23, the High Peace Council opened the door to jihadist leaders.
After four meetings between high-level officials from China, US, Pakistan and Afghanistan it has been decided that the first direct talks with the Taleban will be hosted by Pakistan in early March.
On the sidelines of the fourth round in Kabul on Feb 23, the High Peace Council opened the door to jihadist leaders. The meeting was to introduce new officials in the council. President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah introduced Sayed Ahmad Gailani, the leader of the jihadist party, Mahaz e Islami (national front) as chief of the High Peace Council. His deputies are Karim Khalili, the former vice president, Habiba Surabi, the former governor of Bamyan, Haji Din Mohammad, Ataul Rahman Saleem and Abdul Karim Khudam.
There was unanimous agreement that the High Peace Council should have a role in the peace process. Several people who were present were of the opinion that the council needs to push harder than it has so far. Sayed Ali Kezemi, Member of Parliament from Kabul, felt the High Peace Council needs to seriously review its structure and aims, so it can do some work for peace and prove it is “trustable” to both the government and Taleban.
The meeting ended with a statement urging all factions of the Taleban to send representatives to the first round of direct talks in Pakistan led by the Afghan government. There was also a call for Pakistan and Afghanistan to establish a working group that would woo religious authorities in both countries who would issue a fatwa against war and violence in Afghanistan and announce their support for the peace process led by the Afghan government.
Is there reasonable hope of change.
MP from Kabul Kazemi says, “This war has external roots and its source is unfortunately Pakistan. If there are efforts in the four-nation meetings to convince Pakistani leaders that peace in Afghanistan is beneficial to Pakistan too and that peace in Afghanistan can guarantee the stability of Pakistan, war can be prevented because Pakistan will not give moral and financial support.
“Stability in Afghanistan would lead to stability and development in Pakistan with many big projects like the transmission of electricity and natural gas from Central Asia to Pakistan conditional on stability in Afghanistan,” Kazemi points out.
Pakistan’s leaders have promised to honour the commitment to persuade the armed opponents of the Afghan government to participate in direct talks. But considering Islamabad’s role in Afghan affairs for decades, there is sufficient cynicism among Afghan observers and experts about Pakistan’s position. Fawzia Ehsani, a lecturer in Gawharshad private university says, “Unfortunately there is strong scepticism about trusting Pakistan.”
China and US
The four rounds of meetings on Afghanistan – two in Islamabad and two in Kabul – have been the first time that Beijing and Washington sat down together to strategise on Afghan government-led talks for peace in the country. There was hope that both countries with their enormous influence on Pakistan, both economic and political, could influence the outcome of the talks.
Lawmaker Asadullah Sadati who welcomed the presence of China and the US in the talks was of the opinion that it would not let Pakistan play a dual game in Afghanistan: strategise on peace with the Afghan government and “keep the battlefield warm”, he said.
Some experts think China and the US are pushing for peace talks mainly to protect their economic interests in Afghanistan. Political analyst Naweed Elham believes, “US has big investments in Afghanistan. It does not want to jeopardise human and financial investments. Also since there is an election round the corner, the current administration in the White House wants to do something for peace in Afghanistan. Meanwhile China is also eyeing Afghanistan as a good market for its products to compensate for its economic growth deceleration as a result of tensions in West Asia. China also wants to make sure that extremists (among the Uighurs community) do not receive support from across the border in Afghanistan.” Both countries have a stake in peace in Afghanistan.
Voices of hope
Afghans hope for an end to decades of violence and conflict. Amena, 36, who is from Ghazni province says, “I returned to my homeland 10 years back hoping solace has come to our country but the situation has worsened every year again. My concern now is what if the situation continues (to worsen). Would I not be able to live in my country? Would I have to leave my country and live under the shadow of insult and no identity?”
Safar Mohammad who lives in Lashkargah is optimistic about the talks. He looks forward to a time when he will be able to travel freely from one province to another without fear of being caught in suicide attacks and bomb blasts.
Will these hopes come true?
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