Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Karzai’s Team and Peace and Strategic Agreement Processes

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Karzai’s Team and Peace and Strategic Agreement Processes

The Taliban have recently announced that they have suspended the peace talks with the United States of America (USA) because it has not allowed Taliban office in Qatar and released Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo bay. Since the very beginning, peace talks have remained confused and the Taliban militants and other insurgent groups have not shown any real willingness to denounce violence, break their links with terrorist networks in the region and the world, and accept a democratic constitution. They also regard president Karzai as a puppet that does not have any authority to negotiate.

This flawed process on the part of Afghan government has led to killing of many high-profile figures in the country, including the head of High Peace Council and the former President of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani.

In fact, due to flaws in the government’s policies of peace, Taliban have made the most of it by being recognized as a political force. It has also helped the Taliban to emerge psychologically strong. In addition, the peace process is not inclusive.

Faizullah Zaki, a spokesman for Afghanistan National Front (ANF) - a political alliance that has the support of more than 50 percent of the population - last week said, "ANF believes the current process of talks is a ridiculous play. Taliban have never been serious about peace. They continue bloodshed and terror. The eventual fate of talks with the current process will be utter failure, unless all political forces of Afghanistan are involved.”

Afghanistan is going through a critical time. Problems linger on. Poverty remains backbreaking and due to poor condition of life, children were dying right in the capital of the country during the harsh and chilly winter. The future prospect is gloomy as the Taliban and other insurgent outfits continue to use violence against those who hold a different view.

Unfortunately, the government has concentrated all its attention and resources on a flawed reconciliation process, which itself does not know how to move forward. As a result, the government remains indifferent to the suffering that is shocking the whole nation.

For instance, when children die, the government is not moved at all. The government is quick enough to react to a political discussion that takes place inside or outside the country and assigns those who are in its corrupt network to promote conspiracy theory and level accusation against any one political group that launches a dialogue to look at how to manage the ongoing crises and propel the country towards a better future.

Afghan people must also decide about their interaction with the international community. It cannot endure in isolation. In order for the nation to develop, it should maintain and strengthen relations and interactions with international community. The people must also abandon the old stereotypes.

In order to continue the interaction, Afghan people must work with international community and avoid the actions that could divide the two. Afghan people do believe that the possible strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the United States of America will ensure them security against a descent into any violence, chaos and disorder.

Therefore, they strongly back the deal and want President Karzai’s government to sign it as soon as possible to ward off the preventive attempts being made by some regional elements that do not want such a deal to be struck between Afghanistan and a powerful country. International forces are slated to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014 and they will take with them a bulk of the aid that is currently flowing into the country.

Without a pact of long-term strategic partnership between Afghanistan and the US, the chance of maintaining the current order and democratic processes is extremely low. But it should be said that the endorsement of this agreement per se cannot solve the ongoing violence and security problems facing the country nowadays.

There should be mechanisms and strategic blueprints laid out on how to tackle the current insurgency, terrorism and violence, how to make a peace that is based on justice, belief in and observation of human rights and women’s rights, and political participation of all identity groups in the power structures in the country. There should also be frameworks for how to develop Afghanistan’s ailing economy.

In a nutshell, Afghan people would like to know that how their government and its possible long-term strategic partner will continue democratic processes. But unfortunately Afghan government has not been able to provide any explanations on this regard.

What has been heard from President Karzai is his insistence on some temporary and non-strategic preconditions for signing of the agreement. Some of these conditions are respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and an end to night raids by foreign forces.

Afghan people would like to know that how an end to night raids can contribute to bringing an end to the brutal and violent activities carried out by the Taliban militants and other lunatic fringes connected with a broad network of terrorists and fundamentalists in the region and world. In addition, the government must come up with policies on how it is going to benefit from the strategic partnership in terms of economic development of the country. It has to move in the direction of self-reliance.

Financial assistance may continue to be provided for Afghanistan with the signing of the strategic agreement but if internal sources of revenue are not developed, Afghanistan’s need for international financial aid will be perpetuated. But unfortunately president Karzai’s team wants to direct the partnership to be made towards vested interests of certain circles inside and outside the government.

President Karzai has lost his credibility and legitimacy among his main supporters and they are now developing into strong political alliances and coalitions with clear and articulate policy alternatives to address the root causes of the ongoing political, economic and security crises.

The formation of National Front of Afghanistan that is pursuing an acceptable policy of political reforms, and National Coalition is a point in case. Due to President Karzai’s flawed and non-transparent policies, they no longer accept him as their representative as the ANF for instance, on Saturday, March 17, 2012 said that the current government lacks credibility and political legitimacy to sign the Strategic Partnership Document with the United States and it should be postponed until the next Presidential election is held in 2014.

The Front backs the signing of a long-term partnership agreement between the country and the United States of America (USA) per se but does not view president Karzai’s government as a legitimate reprehensive to strike the deal. Faizullah Zaki, the spokesman for the Front, said in a press conference, “The current stance of the Government on strategic partnership agreement with the US is more of a political bargaining for the interests of a circle in the Presidential Palace, who do not represent all the people of Afghanistan.” In fact, President Karzai’s team has rendered the two processes- 1) peace talks with Taliban and 2) signing strategic agreement with the US- defective due to their own vested interests.

Sher Alam Saqib is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at outlookafghanistan@gmail.com

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