In the last three decades of conflict in Afghanistan what has been mostly said is that war is not the solution and there should be negotiation among the parties involved. Nonetheless, efforts in that direction have always failed. And that is why the Afghan war is making its journey in its fourth decade. After the US invasion of Afghanistan, it was in 2010 when the Afghan government and its international backers realized that the Afghan war cannot be resolved militarily but politically and the international community started backing the peace process.

When last year the Taliban expressed consent over establishment of a political office for Taliban leadership in Qatar, this was deemed as important step forward in peace dialogues between them and the US. But only months after, the Taliban suspended talks process blaming the US of not keeping its promise of releasing five high-profile Taliban leaders from Gitmo Bay and intentionally making the environment in Afghanistan complex – burning of Holy Qur'an and other Islamic books at Bagram air base and massacre of 17 Afghans in Kandahar.

Afghanistan's Taliban will eventually resume talks with the United States, a former commander, Syed Muhammad Akbar Agha said to Reuters recently, but it will depend on how Washington repairs trust damaged by a string of incidents, notably the killing of 17 Afghans blamed on a US soldier. Seemingly the Taliban are upset on the incidents of burning of Quran and massacre of Afghans in Kandahar. But they have been involved in the same kinds of acts during and after their government in Afghanistan. Then why Taliban are trying to show themselves innocent and sincere to Afghans?

Keeping in view the prevailing condition in Afghanistan, - drawdown schedule of international forces, weak administration in Kabul and growing strength of insurgents – one should not see the talks with Taliban with an optimistic eye. Taliban are trying to stretch the negotiation process until 2014. A year when all US lead troops will be out of Afghanistan and condition will become feasible for Taliban to regain power. Their symbolic involvement in peace talks cannot conceal their future intentions.