Marc Grossman, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in Kabul for talks with president Karzai on peace negotiations going on with Taliban delegation in Qatar. The decade-long struggle against Taliban and HizbeIslami of Hekmatyar led to secret negotiations between US government and Taliban representatives more than a year ago. The talks were said to have been brokered by Germany. A year later, Karzai administration is running for leadership of the process.

In their formal speeches, the US and Afghan governments have put emphasis on an Afghanized reconciliation. However, in practice, neither the US administration has given the lead to Afghans nor the Taliban have shown readiness to negotiate with Karzai government.

President Karzai's team including its self-praising council for peace has so far demonstrated a reactive approach to the events related to peace talks with Taliban fighters. Since the very first days after his second controversial term of presidency, Karzai announced the peace talks as top priority of his government agenda to deal with the soaring insecurity here.

In what his administration calls the "confidence-building measures", Taliban fighters are offered good advantages in turn to lay down arms and embrace reconciliation. So far, they have stayed resistant and have abided by none of the conditions that are declared as peace prerequisites: Taliban's de-linkage from Al Qaeda, rejecting violence and accepting Afghan constitution. The so called "confidence-building measures" are yet coming from Afghan government's side and no promising clue is demonstrated by Taliban leadership and their lower fighting ranks.

Afghan government officials have frequently acknowledged their unawareness of negotiation details going on between the US and Taliban delegation. Indications suggest that US's NATO partners may know much more about the process than all what have been availed to Afghan government.

Notwithstanding, Afghan president is stressing his government has made steps to this end.His administration has failed to manage disagreements with its US partners over details of the peace talks. And thus, the US has declined in many ways to fully provide support for his government to actively partake in the process let alone leading it.

Since years back, president Karzai's peace-building bodies and strategies have encountered huge failures but no lessons are learnt to ensure success of the way ahead. With such a gloomy environment in talks with Taliban, the Afghan nationals will surely not believe in the lofty statements made by government officials. They are afraid of the secret deals being made with Taliban militants and violation of their rights andaccomplishments.