Tuesday September 2, 2013
Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai visited Pakistan a week ago where he held extensive discussions with Pakistani stakeholders over a number of important interested issues the two both nations particularly on Pakistan’s contribution to persuade Taliban to attend peace negotiations and sincere cooperation of Islamabad for elimination of terrorism and insurgency that threaten both countries.
In the meantime, a high ranking Pakistani official has reported that Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to relocate the Taliban office from the Qatar capital Doha to a new destination in order to intensify and accelerate peace negotiation attempts.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s national security and foreign affairs advisor, Sartaj Aziz confirmed that Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to relocate Taliban’s office from the Qatar capital Doha to another location to accelerate peace efforts.
However, HPC foreign affairs advisor Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar cautioned that new venue for peace negotiation process between the militant Taliban and the Afghan government has yet to be decided on.
Back in June, the long-stalled peace process between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgency was kick-started with a promise, during the time when the opening of a Taliban’s political office in Qatar was announced.
But the talks ended before they began when the Taliban proudly displayed their flag and an “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” placard that officials in both Kabul and Washington claimed violated preconditions for the office’s opening and misrepresented it as a type of government-in-exile.
Since then, the peace process has seen no official progress while the role of Pakistan as an interlocutor between Kabul and the Taliban has taken center stage.
Last week, president Karzai visited Pakistan on an official invitation from the newly elected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The meeting broadly focused on getting the Taliban to come back to the negotiation table.
Many Afghan officials have routinely tossed accusations against their Pakistani counter-parts for offering financial and military support to the insurgent Taliban.
Afghan officials strongly believe that Pakistan maintains major influence on the Taliban and can persuade them to attend peace talks.
“Islamabad will not back a particular group in Afghanistan, but instead, Pakistan wants participation of all ethnic groups in the formation of a stable and secure Afghanistan, Pakistani national security and foreign relations advisor, Sartaj Aziz said”.
Yet, even if Pakistan is able to effectively contribute on getting peace talks back on track, many in Afghanistan would likely remain suspicious of their South Asian neighbor and its intentions.
“The government of Pakistan has a new plan to get the country out of the economic crises, but this is only possible when Afghanistan is stable, when trade opportunities are possible and when transit routes are available,” explained Mr. Qasimyar.
“The government of Pakistan has noticed this issue and for the sake of their own economic gain, they are willing to help Afghanistan in starting peace talks.”
Afghan political and security experts are similarly dubious about Pakistan’s intentions, and also its ability to live-up to expectations regarding the pace process.
“Pakistan is trying to lead the peace talks between the government and the Taliban.
Pakistan has firm relations with Saudi Arabia, which is why Pakistan wants the Taliban’s new office there,” said Mir Ahmad Joyenda, an Afghan political expert.
“Yet, it is not clear whether the civilian government of Pakistan has support from its military intelligence for these aims.
If not, Pakistani government’s efforts in the peace process will have no significant results.”
In the past, the government of Afghanistan’s requests for honest and sincere cooperation from the Pakistani government in order to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table went unanswered.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, the new government of Nawaz Sharif has promised to turn over a new leaf.
“This is the new chapter of relationship between the two countries, the Pakistan Prime Minister is committed to stop all meddling in Afghanistan’s internal politics and he is determined to further develop bilateral relations with Afghanistan.
He strongly believes that Afghanistan’s national sovereignty is valued,” recently said Khurrum Dastageer Khan, a Pakistani Cabinet Minister.
It is assumed that Pakistan and Afghanistan are able to put past differences behind them, however, there is nothing to say a renewed pace process would see a departure from the failures of past attempts.
It is at least hard to imagine a simple change of scenery making the difference.
