The peace and reconciliation process initiated by Karzai administration and backed by the international community is deemed an appropriate way to end the conflict in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, even a minor achievement in this regard is not observable. The High Peace Council (HPC) formed to facilitate peace talks with Taliban has itself become a target of militancy.

Last year its head, Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in his own home while this year it lost one of its prominent members Maulvi Arsala Rahmani who was assassinated in broad daylight near his home in a highly fortified area of Kabul. By such killings the Taliban have clearly indicated their intentions that they want to fight and would not negotiate. All efforts aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan is fading away as the Taliban insurgents have continued their targeted killings, suicide bombings, IED attacks and other sorts of violence.

With all the despair surrounding the peace and reconciliation process, HPC Chairman Salahuddin Rabbani will visit Pakistan in the third week of August to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban. Last month the HPC said that it was sending a delegation to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as these countries' roles are considered pivotal in bringing the Taliban leadership to table of negotiations.

It is important to mention that HPC has sent such delegations to both the mentioned countries in the past too. Despite, promises by both Saudi and Pakistani authorities to push the Taliban towards peace talks, no practical step has been taken so far. Both the Islamic countries are believed to have great influence on the Taliban leadership and it was Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who had formally recognized Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Although the upcoming visit of HPC head is politically important, it is not likely that any major success may be achieved in convincing the Taliban to talks. Taliban, as the most powerful resisting force against US-led NATO forces and Afghan government, have their own sets of principles and ideology that keep them fighting. They are against all democratic and modern-world values.

We must not be optimistic that interferences by a country like Pakistan would bring any positive change to Taliban's mindset. They may sit for negotiation but would emphasize on their own conditions such as implementation of Shariah and prohibition of women from work and education.

At a time when the international forces are set to withdraw completely from Afghanistan by 2014, Taliban's hope to regain power in Afghanistan has become manifold. This hope prevents them from talking peace with the government of Afghanistan which they mostly pronounced as 'western puppet'.