With the formation of new government in Pakistan under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, the role of that country in promoting peace in Afghanistan is being once again stressed by Afghan and NATO authorities. Pakistan is believed to have significant influence over Taliban leadership and it is urged to utilize the same positively and sincerely for better security in Afghanistan and the region.
In a recent interview to BBC, Afghan army chief, Sher Muhammad Karimi has said that Pakistan could end the Afghan war "in weeks" if it were serious about peace. This actually depicts what majority of the people in Afghanistan think. All is in the hand of Pakistan. However, Pakistan denies having any support for Taliban’s fight against ISAF and Afghan government.
Karimi further said, "Now Pakistan is suffering internally from terrorists as much as I do. We can both do together to fight this menace provided that (everyone is) sincere in what they're doing." There is no doubt the security condition has concerned people of the both countries. If both go after the individual interests, the people that will gain benefit from the scenario will continue to the Taliban and other insurgent groups. Indeed the so-called peace process, the main purpose of which is to put an end to the 12 year long war in Afghanistan, cannot lead to success until and unless the Pakistani government cooperates with Karzai administration ‘sincerely.’
Meanwhile, in his monthly press conference, the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called upon Pakistani government and army to take further steps to assist Afghanistan peace efforts. He said, “We need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability not only in Afghanistan but also in the whole region. And in that respect, Pakistani authorities, the government, the armed forces to do their utmost to fight extremism and terrorism in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
There are also reports that Pakistan has demanded the Afghan government and international backers to handover four provinces of Afghanistan to Taliban. Already, there have been doubts that the Karzai administration is mulling over including Taliban into mainstream of Afghan politics by giving them away some share in the government. But what would not be acceptable to the people of Afghanistan is any compromise on the Afghan constitution, human rights and gains of the last decade in democracy, media, civil society and other such important areas. Majority of Afghans will not accept Taliban to rule them once again.
After weekend talks with Britain's visiting leader David Cameron, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke of his government's "firm resolve to promote the shared objective of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan." Now, it has to be seen how the new Pakistani government will deal with the Afghan conflict. Will it support the peace process with Taliban or will do what former Pakistan governments have been doing?