High Peace Council (HPC) talks of improvements in persuading Taliban to peace negotiation. In a meeting with a group of foreign reporters visiting Afghanistan on a media tour organized by NATO, Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, head of HPC's secretariat has said that he is optimistic about the prospects for a political settlement but it is hard to say whether one can be reached before the end of 2014. In the last two year or so, people have heard many optimistic statements from various Western and Afghan authorities regarding peace deal with Taliban. Nonetheless, time has proved all those statements as futile.
About three years after initiation of peace process to encourage Taliban towards table talks, it is not yet clear whether efforts of Afghan government are triumphing or not. A major reason behind this is Taliban's denial to start negotiating instead of fighting.
Amid growing insurgency in Afghanistan, the time when Taliban would put their arms down and sit at a table to talk peace seems is hard to be coming. Afghan government's soft stance towards Taliban fighters has done little to absorb Taliban in the peace and integration process and those have joint this process have been found involved in practicing violence and supporting insurgency.
According Dr. Sima Samar, head of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), there is no transparency in peace process led by HPC, as the people are kept in dark on its activities. Addressing a national conference to strengthen the role of women in the peace process held on Sunday in Kabul she urged that the government must obtain people's trust. She also stressed that the peace efforts with the Taliban should be clearly explained.
The High Peace Council (HPC) formed to facilitate peace talks with Taliban has itself become a target of militancy. Last year its head, Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in his own home while this year it lost one of its prominent members Maulvi Arsala Rahmani who was assassinated in broad daylight near his home in a highly fortified area of Kabul.
By such killings the Taliban have clearly indicated their intention that they want to fight and would not negotiate. All hope regarding making of peace in Afghanistan through table talks with Taliban is fading away as the insurgents continue targeted killing, suicide bombing, planting IEDs and practicing other sorts of violence.