The historic and epochal peace accord –signed in Doha between the US administration and the Taliban representatives on Feb-29 is a new peace boulevard- a diplomatic triumph-which became only possible via Pakistan’s all-round efforts. This peace accord endorses the role of the Pakistani Government both regionally and globally. The Feb 29th agreement, signed in Doha in the presence of leaders from Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, will not only pave the way for the United States to gradually withdraw its troops but also sets the prompt hopes that the stability in Afghanistan will promote peace stability in the region. The 19-year Afghan war has had ruined the political and economic futurity of the Afghan people. PM Imran Khan said Pakistan welcomes the Doha peace agreement (signed between the two sides– the US and the Taliban) and affirms that Islamabad is committed to playing its role in ensuring the agreement holds and succeeds in bringing peace to Afghanistan. The talk about the partial truce began on February 22nd, the end-result of more than 18 months of negotiations between the Taliban and American leadership in Qatar. Afghan news reports say the Taliban are expected to vacate the occupied towns and cities, as well as military bases and highways. The Taliban leadership told its fighters to “remain defensively alert” but “strictly refrain from entering enemy territory”. But the formal agreement for bringing Peace to Afghanistan was signed on Feb 29 (between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America). This comprehensive peace accord– involving the four parties—Afghan government, Taliban, United States, and NATO– consists of four parts: One: Guarantees and enforcement mechanisms — preventing the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies. Two: Guarantees and enforcement mechanisms accompanied by a timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan. Three: After the announcement of guarantees for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces and timeline in the presence of international witnesses, and guarantees and the announcement in the presence of international witnesses that the Afghan land will not be used against the security of the United States and its allies, Four: A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be tabled on the agenda of the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations. In addition, the participants of intra-Afghan negotiations will decide the possible date and modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, including joint implementation mechanisms that will assist the future political roadmap of Afghanistan. History is a witness to the fact that amid the brewing Afghan crisis that emerged during the two foreign occupations, no country other than Pakistan has had played such an important role in forming the Afghan peace accord once in Geneva (in 1989) and presently in Doha in 2020 The peace drafts– reflected in the respective four parts– are interrelated and each will be implemented in accordance with its own agreed timeline and agreed on terms. Agreement on the first two parts paves the way for the last two parts. The move would formally assist President Donald Trump to show the American public that he has brought troops home ahead of the US presidential election in November. The said accord also provides for a prisoner swap. Some 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 Afghan security force prisoners would be exchanged by 10 March, when talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are due to start. Washington will also lift sanctions against the Taliban while mutually working with the UN to lift its separate sanctions against the group. Under the terms of the deal, the US administration is committed to withdrawing all of its military forces and supporting civilian personnel, as well as those of its allies, within 14 months. The drawdown process will begin with the U.S. reducing its troop levels to 8,600 in the first 135 days and pulling its forces from five bases. A reduction in violence would show the Taliban can control their forces and demonstrate good faith ahead of any signing, which would see the Pentagon withdraw about half of the 12,000-13,000 troops currently in Afghanistan. As an important partner of global peace, the role –that Pakistan has been playing diplomatically to make this peace deal between the US and the Taliban leadership– needs no explanation since striking a peace deal has remained the core of Pakistan’s diplomacy. It is no exaggeration to say: nothing seemed so much complex and challenging as that of striking an Afghan peace deal since it remained a tumultuous task for the regional and global powers to conclude a deal which has had many stakes holders both internally and externally. Obviously, history is a witness to the fact that amid the brewing Afghan crisis that emerged during the two foreign occupations: one during the former Soviet rule in Afghanistan (1979-89) and two the US/Nato forces’ regime in Afghanistan since 2001-2019, no country other than Pakistan has had played such an important role in forming the Afghan peace accord once in Geneva (in 1989) and presently in Doha in 2020. To officially assist U.S.-Taliban peace negotiations when they started last year, Pakistan released the co-founder of the Taliban from a Karachi prison. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has ever since become the Taliban’s deputy political leader and chief negotiator. While at the request of President Trump in December, Pakistani Foreign Office prodded the insurgents to take negotiations more seriously after the talks appeared to falter, just months after Trump-appointed Khalilzad to lead negotiations. In June last year, the Pakistani FM hosted Afghan opposition leaders, and Prime Minister Imran Khan hosted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Following a meeting with Trump in Washington last month, Khan said he would host Taliban leaders in Islamabad. Despite the fact that apparently the Doha accord holds promising success, it is not void of certain challenges. Notably, five big challenges are to be confronted ahead. First, the establishment of a transitional government via peaceful negotiation process between the Ghana’s unity government and Taliban factions groups, second, the inter and intra peace dialogue between Taliban and the Afghan factions group, third the peaceful release of the prisoners bilaterally, fourth, peaceful withdrawal of the Foreign/ Nato troops from Afghanistan and finally the modus operandi about the post-conflict reconstruction phase in Afghanistan. But the sane argument tabled by the Amnesty International holds that any peace process involving the parties to the conflict in Afghanistan need not ignore the voice of victims of the 18-year Afghan war. And yet, the March 3-4 attacks –of the Taliban on the Afghan forces and US/ NATO forces on Taliban -leave the impression that the Doha peace accord has to go through the acid test of mutual trust-building among the respective parties. The writer is an independent ‘IR’ researcher and international law analyst based in Pakistan