In post withdrawal Afghanistan, the peace process between Afghan government and Taliban have become even more important; however, the expectations regarding it are still not very high as there have been certain setbacks in this regard.
During the reign of Karzai in Afghanistan, the High Peace Council on many occasions heralded the “good news” but that only proved to be an eye wash. All the efforts ended up in smoke and even led to the killings of leading members of the Council.
The political analysts, at that time, and even now, believe that the peace process with Taliban can never be fruitful without the involvement of Pakistan – it is also known by Afghanistan’s current government and Pakistani establishment. However, the concerns and controversy have mostly been there on the role and the sincerity of Pakistani authorities in this regard. Throughout the reign of previous government, the role of Pakistan was doubted and both the countries could never, with all the readiness and willingness, sit together and resolve the issue.
Nonetheless, the current Afghan government, right from the beginning, seems to be in a different tempo regarding relations with Pakistan. President Ashraf Ghani has openly remarked that peace in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan and the vice versa has been accepted by Pakistani leadership, as well. Both the current governments try to give the impression that they are really sincere this time and would be able to make an important achievement regarding the process.
There have been several visits by Pakistani military and political leaderships to Kabul and President Ghani also paid an important visit to Islamabad. These visits have said to be helpful in rebuilding confidence between the two nations and they are also considered as precursor to lasting cooperation regarding the peace process with Taliban.
On Tuesday last week, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, paid another visit to Kabul and met Afghan President and Chief Executive Officer – Abdullah Abdullah. It is said that the visit was very vital as it highlighted that Taliban are ready for peace negotiations with Afghan government. If true, and then pursued with honest intentions, peace talks with Taliban can be the first major step towards peace process.
According to Pakistani news sources, Pakistan military spokesman has said, “While onus for such negotiations to succeed lies on both parties concerned, Pakistan in all sincerity will support the process, as peace in Afghanistan will contribute to peace in the region. We hope all stakeholders will continue to act with responsibility not to allow detractors of peace to succeed.”
The same source also claimed that direct talks with Afghan government would soon be started by Taliban, who earlier were not willing to cooperate in this regard.
At the same time, there is regional support for the peace process as well, particularly from China. China, recently, has clearly mentioned its support for the process. It also believes that Pakistan can play a vital role in the process. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his last visit to Islamabad also offered to facilitate and play constructive role in reconciliation. Commenting on the role of Pakistan regarding the efforts of reconciliation in Afghanistan, he had said, “Pakistan has an irreplaceable role in resolving the Afghan issue. Pakistan has a strong will for playing a constructive role for its resolution.”
If both China and Pakistan continue their efforts and support Afghanistan, there would definitely be some important achievements regarding the reconciliation process. China has strong influence in the regional politics and its role in the fight against terrorism in the region can be vital.
Moreover, it is also a matter of interest for all the countries in the region, particularly for Pakistan, China and India. These countries have been affected badly by terrorism and eradication of terrorism from Afghanistan and Pakistan can benefit all of them alike. Particularly for Pakistan it is of utmost importance that a critical decision should be taken against Terrorism and Talibanization as it has already paid heavy price in this regard.
The Army Public School incident in Peshawar left no doubt that Pakistan had to be really serious about combating terrorism and terrorists, particularly Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Though Pakistan Army had already started operations against them, the incident encouraged them to strengthen those operations. Now, all Pakistan requires to do is further embolden its stance against the terrorist organizations in the country and at the same time support Afghan government in the reconciliation process as there is no other way out.
President Ghani, right from the beginning of his tenure, has been very positive about the role of Pakistan in Afghan peace process. He on Friday, February 20, once again appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating opportunity to ensure peace in Afghanistan and to bring the reconciliation process with Taliban back on its track. A statement from the Presidential Palace said that the unity government had invigorated efforts to bring peace and stability to the country since its beginning. The statement further added that the leaderships in Kabul and Islamabad had now realized to work in cooperation with each other to resolve challenges in this regard.
It, in fact, is now or never situation for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Negligence, this time, by any of the stakeholders can lead the entire region towards the horrors of terrorism. There is no more room for hypocritical political plots and promises.