Daily Times

It is unlikely that Afghanistan will ever be peaceful or stable without a peace settlement between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government. The ceaseless savagery in Afghanistan is an impression of the strategic stalemate in the conflict; besides, it likewise shows the failure of the military option in vanquishing the Taliban.

There has not been any genuine undertaking to positively shape the grounds for peace talks in Afghanistan. Any efforts to bring about effective peace talks are neutralised by the blame games of all the parties involved. Meanwhile, the fact that the primary goal of peace talks, which should be the quick cessation of conflict, even on transient basis, remains forgotten.

The Taliban may not be forthcoming and political expediency is likely to prevent Kabul and its Western supporters from undertaking such an initiative nonetheless, the desire for peace must not be viewed as an indication of shortcoming by either side. Giving peace a reasonable chance is the greater responsibility of those who have more to lose compared to the insurgents.

Consequently, the strategy of ‘fight and talk’ may need to be abandoned to end the existing trust deficit. It would be helpful if under a ceasefire, some Taliban commanders return to Afghanistan to ‘Afghanise’ the long stalled negotiation process. Though we can’t be certain of a positive reaction from the Taliban, by and by, it would offer the peace process a reasonable shot while additionally decreasing the insurgents’ public appeal.

An end to the Afghan conflict is connected with a genuine, legitimate and meaningful negotiation process with the Taliban. Along these lines, it is imperative that the Taliban be sought after towards a political engagement. Making the negotiating table attractive for the Taliban is the job of the Afghan government and the US. However, up to this point, nothing advantageous has been offered to bait the Taliban.

Without enticements, the quest for effective peace talks will remain slippery. The strategy of selective engagement with insurgents is likewise not feasible and is probably not going to help in gaining sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Making the negotiating table attractive for the Taliban is the job of the Afghan government and the US

The US has not been exceptionally open to the possibility of a comprehensive dialogue process, particularly with the Haqqani Network (HQN), nonetheless, Haqqanis are progressively co-opted by the post-Mullah Omar Taliban. The emphasis thus ought to be on scattering the impression of separating or debilitating the revolt through talks rather than pursuing a policy of building pressure and squeezing Islamabad for fruitful results.

Nevertheless, the unending conflict in Afghanistan can’t exclusively be credited to external factors. Afghanistan is made up of various ethnic groups with varying interests; a state of conflict has, thus, always prevailed in the country.

Throughout the years, external players have exacerbated the ever present ethnic fault lines in Afghan society. Whilst eliminating the overarching trust deficit among conflicting domestic players may not be possible immediately, an impression of compromise amidst Afghanistan is essential.

It is also imperative that besides initiating a negotiation process between the Taliban, the government and the foreign military forces present on Afghan soil, a comprehensive intra-Afghan dialogue is encouraged and prioritised.

To conclude, Pakistan continues to support an inclusive political reconciliation process in Afghanistan as the only viable path towards obtaining lasting peace in the region, Moreover Pakistan has bolstered and urged the Taliban to continue talks in Afghanistan, but it abstained from drawing in with the Taliban in the wake of the current stressed relations with Washington.

The writer is a Research Associate Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) and can be reached at ubaid@thesvi.org

Published in Daily Times, January 28^th 2018.