Looks like the Afghan Taliban are not in mood for a tangible solution for the Afghan quagmire. Their spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid’s latest denial on being onboard for talks regarding specific matters implies that the peace process has been stalled to some extent. While Washington insists that matters are on the right track, such conflicting statements don’t bode well for the region’s stability. It took months for the US and Taliban representatives to be on the negotiating table and Islamabad played a pivotal role for facilitating these talks in Doha. The peace process had been sabotaged multiple times in the past owing to several factors, but key stakeholders of the region realised that war is not a solution but a root cause of instability. Nevertheless, the recent spate in attacks by Taliban factions signify the gravity of the situation. They may have been orchestrated by splinter elements, but the onus lies on the bigger factions since they are the ones dealing with Washington directly. The US wishes to discuss four interconnected issues which include terrorism, troops withdrawal, intra-Afghan dialogue and ceasefire. An initial draft agreement with the Taliban a few weeks ago did come up with a timeframe for troops withdrawal and a guarantee for preventing the use of Afghan territory for terrorist acts. However, one of the key stumbling blocks remains the increasing influence of Russia which is essentially running a parallel dialogue of its own. Especially when it invited the Taliban and opposition members to Moscow a while back. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani is being consistently ignored and blindsided by global powers who are aware that the Taliban hold greater weightage when it comes to dialogue. Being confined to cantonments and government complexes, the Ghani administration’s sun is likely setting soon since there’s talk of a national government comprising of both moderate and Taliban elements. However, such a scenario may be risky since there’s no clear-headed policy regarding its outlook. Learning from history is crucial for stabilising the region. The aftermath of the Saur Revolution in 1978 and the subsequent imposition of regimes back by external supporters has led to nothing but despair for the Afghan people. The stakeholders of this process must sit together and chalk out a formidable plan for the benefit of the locals rather than self-serving interests. A pragmatic approach may be the shot for everyone since economic prosperity is the ultimate goal. * Published in Daily Times, March 10th 2019.