Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation efforts for peace with the militants have once again been sabotaged. Some forces do not want this process to continue, which is imperative to introduce and strengthen political, social and economic stability in war-torn Afghanistan. Meaningful prosperity of the whole region is dependent on the success of the reconciliation efforts. Unfortunately, the most high profile peace negotiator and a key member of President Karzai’s High Peace Council (HPC), Maulvi Arsala Rahmani, a former Taliban, was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday. His murder is definitely another setback. The Taliban have not claimed responsibility, which has been the case in almost every high-profile killing. However, according to a report, an unheard of splinter group of the Taliban, the Mullah Dadullah Front, has claimed responsibility for the murder, which cannot be condemned enough. This group is definitely one of the fronts of the Taliban who are against the reconciliation efforts. Maulvi Rahmani’s assassination is the second high-profile murder of a HPC member. Last September, its chief, also the former president of Afghanistan, Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani had been assassinated. The killing had halted the negotiations, damaging the peace initiative that had been widely regarded as a genuine effort. Where the latest killing points to the pattern being set by the Taliban, it also highlights the need to ensure the security of his successor and other important members of the HPC. There is every likelihood that the finger of suspicion would again be raised towards Pakistan, accusing it of perpetrating the assassination as happened in the earlier killing of Professor Rabbani. Pakistan had rejected the accusation then in the strongest terms. Whether they carry any modicum of truth or not, such allegations reflect the strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. This development may once again hurt the recently revived Pak-Afghan joint initiative, which suffered from a long deadlock created by Professor Rabbani’s murder. Pakistan has formally invited the newly appointed chief of the HPC to restart negotiations focused on finding a solution to the crisis in Afghanistan. Maulvi Rahmani’s assassination is indeed a great loss for those who are struggling for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. However, it should not demoralise or prevent them from persevering, albeit with greater care than ever. *