Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

“We Must Not Deceive Ourselves!”

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“We Must Not Deceive Ourselves!”

Afghan government, though was much inactive after the death of High Peace Council Chief Burhan ud din Rabbani as far as reconciliation process is concerned, has once again become very much involved and optimistic about the process. Though the response of Taliban has not been very much satisfactory, the governmental authorities have decided to keep their endeavors continue to proceed with the process.

However, it must be kept in consideration as well that so far they have not been able to achieve something worthwhile towards the process. They have, in fact, deceived themselves. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Jawed Ludin in a UN Security Council meeting has mentioned that Afghan government is committed to make important moves towards the reconciliation process even though Taliban have continued their assaults and assassinations.

Ludin, in the Council debate, mentioned, "We believe the process may benefit from the establishment of an office, within or outside Afghanistan, whereby formal talks between relevant Afghan authorities and representatives of armed opposition, including the Taliban, could be facilitated."

At the same time, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous also mentioned that UN mission in Afghanistan will keep on supporting the country even after 2014, when the international troops have to withdraw – at least theoretically.

He mentioned the concerns about the security matters and mentioned that security could be guaranteed if there is lasting solution of the issue of terrorism. He said, "We mustn't deceive ourselves. We have witnessed large-scale attacks over the recent weeks.

We must continue to exercise great caution and vigilance." The Security Council meeting ended with the final statement that welcomed arrangements for a decade of transformation for Afghanistan that a recent international conference in Bonn said would be launched after the military withdrawal in 2014.

Afghan authorities, especially the members of High Peace Council (HPC), consider that they have sacrificed much for the reconciliation process and can not let it go in vain. They also strive to be an integral part of the process so that they should have their desired influence in the process but the reports of an unofficial Taliban diplomatic office in Qatar made Afghan authorities think that they are excluded from the process, however the report has not been approved yet.

On the other hand, there are reports that Taliban are interested in a formal office that would serve as point of contact for the Taliban and may assist in the reconciliation process. It, at the same time, has managed to grab the interest of Afghan authorities for the process.

Afghan government, in particular President Karzai himself, has been striving to bring Taliban to negotiation table however the efforts in that regard have not been able to bring the desired results. The establishment of High Peace Council (HPC) was for the same purpose but that seems to have lost the vitality it used to have before the death of Burhan ud din Rabbani.

The incident proved so shocking that President Karzai ruled out negotiations with the Taliban until they had an address at which he could contact them. The cooperation of Pakistan, which has been considered very much important for the reconciliation process, has not been consistent as well therefore, this particular news will definitely help the Afghan government to have optimistic attitude towards the reconciliation process.

Arsala Rahmani, a senior member of HPC, has mentioned, "What we heard from senior Taliban commanders and their relatives is they agreed on a political office," and "It would be better to establish one inside Afghanistan if the situation allows."

Regarding the interest of Afghan government for the reconciliation process and Taliban office, he said, "We agree and have always called for a political address for the Taliban either in Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or any Islamic countries and it is in our interest… Establishment of a political address of an office for the Taliban is very crucial and will have a great impact on the peace process.

Since the Taliban have no address, it is important to create a political address where we would talk about peace agendas face to face." If Taliban are really interested in opening and office and they are able to do so, it would be really helpful for the reconciliation process, but there are many other concerns as well, which must be kept in mind by Afghan authorities because they have not had good experiences regarding very optimistic expectations from Taliban.

Taliban have not responded to their consent of opening such an office. Taliban have always responded in an aggressive way to reconciliation process. Throughout the efforts of Afghan authorities for the process, Taliban have continued their insurgency.

They even went to the extent of targeting the HPC chief Burhan ud din Rabbani. They are of the view that reconciliation process is of no use unless the Western forces leave Afghanistan. Moreover, they consider the Karzai government as a "Puppet Government" and believe that negotiations with such a government would never prove fruitful.

The Bonn II Conference could play a role in initiating the reconciliation process but it did not include representatives of Taliban who could truly speak on their behalf and make decisions. Moreover, the reconciliation process with Taliban has many other complications, as well.

Above all the process has been complicated by the division of Taliban in different factions. If one faction agrees to participate in the process the others may not and will continue insurgency. The process also requires having cooperation and strong ties with the neighboring countries especially Pakistan; and Iran to a certain extent. Their influence over the process will help them tackle it in accordance to their interests and the regional political dynamics will keep on influencing and hampering the process.

It is really important that there should be a political end to the war against terrorism as it will guarantee lasting peace and the reconciliation process in this regard can play a pivotal role. In addition, the establishment of a Taliban office will prove very much convenient for the process.

Nevertheless, Afghan officials have to keep certain things in concentration. Taliban must not be able to dictate any condition for the process and they must respect the constitution of Afghanistan. They should not be able to have their Draconian rules accepted by the Afghan authorities as they will take the country back to Taliban age. They should stop insurgency and must show their consent in a practical way, not merely in words. It is important that through reconciliation process we must not only achieve lasting peace but also a better society and above all we must not deceive ourselves.

The author is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at outlook afghanistan@gmail.com

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