After the statement of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, it seems that Taliban have some sort of readiness to continue peace talks with Afghan government. In his statement, he clearly mentioned that there is no objection in Islam regarding talks with the enemies and that the future of Afghanistan can only be secured through peace. This statement gives an indication that Taliban may get serious in their talks with Afghan government. However, it does not give the warranty that peace talks with Taliban would succeed and that the talks would ultimately result in peace as there are many other considerations to take care of along with the talks.
Pakistan’s role in supporting the talks has been very important. It was with the assistance of Pakistan that a delegation of Afghan representatives for the first time held face to face talks with Taliban in Murree, a resort close to Islamabad, a couple of weeks earlier.
Pakistan’s role in supporting the peace talks with Taliban was dubious for Afghan officials previously but now it seems that the support and assistance by Pakistan are being appreciated to a certain extent. According to a statement by Embassy of Pakistan, “Pakistan’s role in facilitating the reconciliation process between Afghan government and the Taliban was lauded by the US side.” This statement was issued after the meeting of the Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, with the Deputy US Secretary of State, Toney Blinken.
During the talks in Murree it was decided that both the sides would continue talks after Ramadan, as well. Now that Ramadan is over people would require seeing this promise coming true and at the same time they want to see their government having a clear stance and strategy regarding the talks with Taliban.
In last few months there have been certain indications by Taliban that they are ready for talks. Earlier Taliban delegation participated in a meeting that was organized in Pugwash, Qatar and, afterwards, had a meeting with High Peace Council (HPC) in China. They also had an important meeting with Afghan women delegation in Norway, which was vital in a sense that they, at least, agreed to talk to women delegation. Taliban during their reign did not allow women to participate in political affairs and did not appreciate law to safeguard their rights as per the international requirements. One of the most important discussions, if the peace process proceeds, would be the rights of women as there is a huge distinction between what the present Afghan constitutions states about their rights and what Taliban believe they should be.
A Taliban delegation also met Afghan officials in Dubai and then an Afghan delegation visited Oslo, Norway, where, it met Taliban peace envoys. The delegation was led by Mohammad Mohaqiq, the Second Deputy of Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. However, after the Oslo meeting Mohammad Mohaqiq said that there were no changes in the stance of Taliban regarding peace talks with Afghan government.
Nevertheless, it is important to see what will be the outcome of the Murree meeting as Taliban have not openly accepted that they are willing to hold talks with Afghan government. Moreover, it is still ambiguous whether the Taliban delegations truly represent all Taliban who are fighting in Afghanistan. There are reports that no one from Taliban Doha office attended the meeting. Taliban do not seem to have a unity of command and control; there are different factions of them operating under different leaderships. There are pieces of news suggesting that some of them are now joining Daesh. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude whether the Taliban representatives meeting Afghan government delegations really represent Taliban and their words and promises truly represent the minds and the hearts of the ones who are in direct fight with Afghan forces.
Taliban have not shown any willingness to call off their fight and currently they have continued their Spring Offensive and are in violent clashes with Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in different parts of the country. They have intensified their attacks in the northern and western parts of the country and few districts have, in fact, come under their control. Previously, they also rejected the call of Afghan Religious Scholars’ Council for a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan.
As Taliban are literally in a war with ANSF with no evident willingness to end it, it is difficult to see the dreams of peace coming true; or as some of the analysts believe this intensification in war may be a tactic by Taliban to earn a good bargain in talks. However, no peace negotiation would ever be successful unless there is a willingness and practical measures for a ceasefire.
Another important factor that will play a key role in the peace negotiations is the intention. Negotiations can only be successful provided that the intentions of the involved parties are clear and true. If Afghan authorities, Taliban leadership and the regional countries, particularly the neighboring countries show honest commitments, there is every possibility that Afghanistan would see the sun of peace and tranquility brightening its every corner. On the other hand, if all the stakeholders have ill-intentions of gaining only strength and self-centered benefits, it is really difficult to restore peace in the country.
Peace, as a matter of fact, is in the advantage of all the stakeholders; the only requirement is to realize this undeniable fact.