Since its establishment in 2010, High Peace Council (HPC) has had to face many challenges to achieve reconciliation with Taliban. Its ex-Head, Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated last year inside his home by a suicide bomber sent by Taliban. This year, one of HPC's senior members, Maulvi Arsala Rahmani was gunned down in broad daylight in Kabul.
At the same time, low ranking Taliban fighters who joined the peace and reconciliation process have been found assisting insurgents in carrying out attacks against Afghan government and foreign forces. They are the ones who have availed the monetary rewards for joining the process.
HPC has been striving hard for holding direct talks with Taliban leadership. To the soft stance maintained by Afghan government for insurgents, the Taliban and other identical groups have never shown interest of any kind. Each call-for-talks of Afghan government has been rejected by Taliban as they have continued targeting Afghan government, NATO troops and civilians.
HPC has now announced that it is sending a delegation to neighboring Pakistan to gain support from that country in convincing Taliban towards table talks. The delegation will be led by Salahuddin Rabbani, the current Chairman of HPC. Rabbani was due to visit Islamabad earlier this year but, for two times, his trip was cancelled. 'There will be no symbolic visit to Pakistan,' media had quoted him as saying, which means that this particular visit will not be symbolic.
The role of Pakistan is being considered as crucial in facilitating talks between Afghan government and the Taliban leadership. Nonetheless, despite so many promises, it has still to come up with practicable measures to support Afghan peace process. Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistani ambassador to Kabul says: Pakistan hopes to persuade Afghan insurgent groups, including the lethal Haqqani network, to pursue peace but worries resistance from Afghan political factions opposed to the Taliban could undermine reconciliation efforts.
HPC is due to give Islamabad a road-map of how it wants its influential neighbor to help end the war with the Taliban. Experts maintain that a peace deal with Taliban to stabilize Afghanistan is something towards which the Pakistani side is more interested than before. Pakistan itself is suffering due to growing strength of Taliban and Islamic extremism in that country and a peaceful Afghanistan would help it improve its security and economic condition. Let us be optimist about the outcomes of HPC's Islamabad visit.