Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Lacking Political Will

Afghanistan'sneighbors are highly wary of the US-Afghan strategic pact. The document was finalized early this week following two separate agreements signed between the two countries on controversial 'night raids' and 'US-run prisons'. Afghan and US governments have expressed hope for long term productive partnership over security, political and economic agenda.However, experts have made it obvious that a successful process in Afghanistan is highly dependent on regional cooperation and political will.

Since 2009 when US president Obama took the oval office, more emphasis is put to localize the process and attract non-US support for the US-led mission in Afghanistan. During his inauguralspeech, Mr. Obama made it clear that his government would ask for more regional involvement in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Therefore, a number of regional initiatives are proposed by US administration to involve a wider group of government and non-government actors to successfully accomplish the mission in Afghanistan.As a result, Pakistan's role turned more significant to bring about peace in Afghanistan.As yet, several trilateral meetings are held to share ideas on Afghanistan issues and seek solutions.

Afghanistan's ambassador to Islamabad has announced that a fresh round of talks will be held in Islamabad on April 27, participated by top diplomats from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the U.S.

Daudzaihas told The Express Tribune that the core group would also review progress of the Afghan peace process achieved so far.The trilateral forum was revived last month when senior diplomats from the three countries met at Dushanbe, Tajikistan, after a seven-month deadlock following the assassination of Afghan peace envoy Professor BurhanuddinRabbani.According to Afghan sources, Pakistan and Afghanistan will also revive the joint peace and reconciliation process following nomination of the new chief of Afghanistan's High Peace Council.

Several meetings were previously held on Afghanistan to encourage regional actors to play a more productive role to end violence here, with no tangible results achieved so far.The meeting set to be held on Friday will never help the process move forward unless there is enough political will to change the status quo.

Few days before the summit is held in Islamabad, US Department of Defense quoted one of its senior military commanders saying that"Pakistani safe havens add to the difficulty in Afghanistan's Helmand province." The source added that, "Marine Corps Maj. Gen. John A. Toolan, commander of the 2nd Marine Division and the former commander of Regional Command-South West, told the Defense Writers' Group that during his year-long tour in command of the region the problem of Pakistan frustrated him."