Pakistan would play a constructive role in promoting peace and security in Afghanistan that could best be achieved through a process of national reconciliation undertaken and led by Afghans themselves – said Maleeha Lodhi a Pakistani political scientist, on Monday following a terrorist attack on the Afghan parliament. Acknowledging that terrorism remained a common challenge, she said that Pakistan had condemned the recent rise in violence in Afghanistan, including the “atrocious” attack on the Afghan parliament, and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to cooperation with Kabul in fighting the scourge.
Ms. Lodhi spoke after the quarterly briefing by Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in which he urged the international community to work towards lasting peace and reconciliation by facilitating direct talks between the Afghan government and armed groups.
Ambassador Lodhi affirmed enhanced engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan based on the principles of non-interference, preventing the use of territory to attack the other country and treatment of each other’s enemies as common enemies, as agreed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during the Pakistani premier’s recent visit to Kabul.
On the other hand, India’s Congress President Sonia Gandhi also condemned the attack on the Afghan parliament, calling it a “heinous attempt by fundamentalists to subvert democratic forces”. She added that “The Congress and indeed the entire country stand by the people of Afghanistan.”
With a powerful bombing targeting the Afghan parliament in Kabul on Monday morning, coupled with a Taliban advance on the northern town of Kunduz, the Taliban militants have shown that its offensive capabilities are very much intact. The symbolism has not been lost, with the Afghan Taliban suggesting they can strike at will. This fatal attack, that the responsibility was claimed by the Taliban, left at least five dead and 31 wounded behind – reports say.
Decades of war and occupation have brought little to Afghanistan apart from death and destruction. With the fall of the Taliban regime following the US-led invasion in 2001, stability has remained elusive as the militant movement has challenged the government in Kabul.
Although a considerable number of Afghan officials push for peace talk, yet I believe that the Taliban will play their usual game in this regard. The sporadic negotiation for peace in Afghanistan, which becomes the limelight every once in a while, will be as futile as ever. As a result, the Afghan ex-president Hamid Karzai left no stone unturned to bring the Taliban into the table of negotiation and traveled to Pakistan for 21 times, but all the attempts were proved abortive. Therefore, it would be far effective if the international community reinforce the counter-terrorism campaigns rather than facilitating for the peace talk – which has never born the desired fruit.
Meanwhile, Haji Muhammad Mohaqiq, the Second Deputy of Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, has expressed doubts that any progress has been made in the peace process after a recent meeting with Taliban representatives in Oslo. He said, “There were five individuals from the Taliban, and there was no discussion or exchange of words. In this conference, only views were presented; there was not a major difference since the past”. On the other hand, Taliban leaders have said the opening of an office in Doha is a critical first step toward peace negotiations. Contrary to Mohaqiq’s doubt about a fruitful peace talk, Afghan officials express optimistically in this regard and will allow the Taliban to reopen their office in Qatar.
I believe that the officials’ trust upon the Taliban is baseless. The Taliban’s dual acts – compounding their offensive and voicing for peace negotiation – reflect their mala fide intentions. Since they have always fouled in this endless game, Afghan officials must learn from the past and do not give the chance a thousand and one time for their foul play. To be candid in this respect, the Taliban must cease their attacks first and it must be the government’s precondition. After all, the Taliban ragtag militants lack a central command and their supreme leader Mullah Omar does not carry much weight. For instance, reports say that a number of the Taliban militia has discarded the Taliban’s membership and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan.
In case of peace negotiation, Pakistan can play a highly significant role, however she has not taken a practical or effective role in this regard. As it was mentioned previously, Hamid Karzai’s repeated and tireless travel to Pakistan was all in vain. Condemning terrorist acts targeting Afghan people cannot heal the wounded hearts of the victims’ families, so it is better Pakistan cooperate with Afghanistan strategically and put her concerns and integrity into practice. Similarly, the international community should also proceed to anti-terrorist campaigns.
The only strategy for the eradication of Taliban militants and preventing from greater influence of the Islamic State group is deal with them militarily. Undeniably, violence and aggression run in their blood and they bear insatiable thirst for trampling upon the rights of the public. It would be naïve of the Afghan government to spend further time and energy on peace talk – that will never come to fruition.