The reports of Taliban unofficial embassy in Qatar disturbed the Afghan presidential office to a certain extent, but now the reports of Talibans' willingness to open an office in an Islamic country, if it happens to be true, will definitely bring it some calm. Afghan government, especially President Karzai himself, has been very much interested in bringing Taliban to negotiation table however the efforts in that regard have not been able to bring the desired results.

The establishment of High Peace Council (HPC) was for the same purpose but that seems to have lost the vigor it used to have before the death of Burhan ud din Rabbani. The incident proved so shocking that President Karzai ruled out negotiations with the Taliban until they had an address at which he could contact them.

The cooperation of Pakistan, which has been considered very much important for the reconciliation process, has not been consistent as well therefore, this particular news will definitely help the Afghan government to have optimistic attitude towards the reconciliation process.

Arsala Rahmani, a senior member of HPC, has mentioned, "What we heard from senior Taliban commanders and their relatives is they agreed on a political office," and "It would be better to establish one inside Afghanistan if the situation allows."

Regarding the interest of Afghan government for the reconciliation process and Taliban office, he said, "We agree and have always called for a political address for the Taliban either in Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or any Islamic countries and it is in our interest… Establishment of a political address of an office for the Taliban is very crucial and will have a great impact on the peace process.

Since the Taliban have no address, it is important to create a political address where we would talk about peace agendas fact to face." If Taliban is really interested in opening and office and they are able to do so, it would be really helpful for the reconciliation process, but there are many other concerns as well, which must be kept in mind by Afghan authorities because they have not had good experiences regarding very optimistic expectations from Taliban.

Taliban have not responded to their consent of opening such an office. Taliban have always responded in an aggressive way to reconciliation process. Throughout the efforts of Afghan authorities for the process, Taliban have continued their insurgency. They even went to the extent of targeting the HPC chief Burhan ud din Rabbani.

They are of the view that reconciliation process is of no use unless the Western forces leave Afghanistan. Moreover, they consider the Karzai government as a "Puppet Government" and believe that negotiations with such a government would never prove fruitful.

The Bonn II Conference could play a role in initiating the reconciliation process but it did not include representatives of Taliban who could truly speak on their behalf and make decisions. Moreover, the reconciliation process with Taliban has many other complications as well.

Above all the process has been complicated by the division of Taliban in different factions. If one faction agrees to participate in the process the others may not and will continue insurgency.

The process also requires having cooperation and strong ties with the neighboring countries especially Pakistan; and Iran to a certain extent. Their influence over the process will help them tackle it in accordance to their interests and the regional political dynamics will keep on influencing and hampering the process.

It is really important that there should be a political end to the war against terrorism as it will guarantee lasting peace and the reconciliation process in this regard can play a pivotal role. In addition, the establishment of a Taliban office will prove very much convenient for the process.

Nevertheless, Afghan officials have to keep certain things in concentration. Taliban must not be able to dictate any condition for the process and they must respect the constitution of Afghanistan.

They should not be able to have their Draconian rules accepted by the Afghan authorities as they will take the country back to Taliban age. They should stop insurgency and must show their consent in a practical way, not merely in words.