The talks between Taliban and Afghan government kicked-off earlier in the capital city Islamabad of Pakistan. The representative from both the conflicting groups have agreed to continue talks to achieving peace and reconciliation process with follow up round to begin after the holy month of Ramadan. The Afghan delegation was led by Deputy Afghan Foreign Minister on Political Affairs Hekmat Khalil Karzai. Taliban’s former Deputy Foreign Minister Mullah Jalil and senior leader Qari Din Muhammad represented the Taliban group. Earlier a two-day meeting between the Afghan officials and Taliban representatives was held in the month of May this year in Urumqi, China. This meeting was a follow-up of the recently of the same talks.
Formerly, President Ghani had demanded Pakistan to exercise its effort by bringing Taliban on the table of negotiation. It is said this series of talks are arranged by Pakistan to gesture goodwill aimed at a negotiated solution to the insurgency. Afghan government has been seeking a mediator that could facilitate the peace talks –depended on Pakistan and US for its formal instigation and finalization. Previously another round of conference was staged by the Oslo Forum was co-hosted by the Norweigan Foreign Ministry and the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue between conflicting factions. This setting was nothing more than a confidence building measure that might draw the conflicting factions comes close together.
Taliban and Afghan government has been in state of war for over decade that have earned devastative causalities and irreparable harms to war torn country – the central upshot. In order to draw in the stalled peace process, a practical, agreeable and feasible approach is required – a kick-starter. It is contemplated to work out a peaceful solution to ongoing conflict to put an end to ongoing bloodshed, provided a credible mediator exercise unconditional mediation. Moreover, a great degree of leniency is observed on government’s part for getting the Taliban convinced for peace talks. Afghan authorities have repeatedly tried to jumpstart talks with the Taliban in the hope of ending a 13-year conflict, but the militants have set tough conditions, including the withdrawal of all foreign troops in Afghanistan, affirms the aforementioned reservations. Seeking quicker drawdown of international forces has never been a priority of Kabul’s central government; instead it hastened to accredit the status of Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that ascertains the residual force stay for another decade to carry out the assist, advice and train mission of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). How would the incumbent government persuade Taliban given in to its term –is an unarguable posture.
In the former talks between Taliban representatives and members of Afghan civil society, had taken place in Norwegian capital, Oslo. Reportedly, Taliban has demonstrated willingness to let women partake in socio-political endeavors and chase their academic goals unhampered. Most of the people fears, Taliban gave in, with regard to display a human friendly outlook –this very reservation do not coincide with the on ground truth. Taliban has made compromises, making then convenient fit in the new setup of democracy. There are some hard born reservations Taliban still assert to be primarily considered on peace talks agenda; they eye constitution to be Islamized, Taliban be given greater share in the new setup. Earning concession in women’s right can not be deemed as if they would go rational on every account. The constitution certainly will be bombarded with Islamic clause –making the rule of business difficult for ordinary masses and religious minorities. This is the richest price the country will have to pay in the long run.
Nevertheless, just as it appears the peace process may finally be picking up steam, the Taliban recently rejected a call from the Afghan Religious Scholars’ Council to put in place a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan. In response to the militant group’s continued enmity and desire to continue fighting through the holy month, the Afghan National Army (ANA) has reportedly ended restorations on the use of artillery against insurgents. Taliban, the claimant of champion of Islamic instruction turned harsh –even vowed not to spare the people in the holy month.
Earlier, vehemently the government expected truce but Taliban turned it down by launching successive brutal attacks. It is evident Taliban wants to talks in the position of strength –nonetheless not the government. This bewildered stance may complicate governments’ position. Though the president asserted the talk with Taliban would continue in the government’s term, is contradicted with Taliban’s present gallant gesture. This deliberately seems a political statement.
More or less, the peaceful resolution is the sole solution dace long conflict. It should be learnt that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the way conflict is lead to an conciliating ending. The years long war earned us not only life losses but also infrastructure losses. The harms inflicted to poverty stricken Afghanistan can not be reciprocated with endless butchery of the misled and betrayed militants and terrorists. Certainly, the segregation of militants into terrorist and insurgents might yield congenial solution –the terrorists are serving vested interest whilst insurgents for political say; the former should be dealt with iron fist while later through dialogue.
The dual approach; negotiation and operation exercised by incumbent government to seek an end to decade long bloody conflict, is justifiably agreeable. The government proposing peace talks to the conciliating splinter group amidst executing military operation in the bid to crush those challenging the writ of government, tends tolerable.