Karzai called Taliban as his 'brothers' but they killed his own brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai. Karzai called Taliban to renounce suicide attacks, targeted killings, kidnapping and other acts of insurgency and join the peace process but they assassinated his chief peace negotiator and ex president of Afghanistan, Burhanud Din Rabbani.
These days a very pathetic condition seems to be prevailing in presidential palace. The Karzai administration is trying to exhibit itself as 'important' in the process where the US is trying to enter a deal with Taliban. But the palace and the High Peace Council (HPC) – specially established to facilitate the peace process – have little or no update on US-Taliban meetings. They, like everyone else, only know things that have been reported in national and international media: agreement of Taliban to establishment of an office in Qatar and possible release of five high profile Taliban leaders from Gitmo.
The Karzai office is really eager to know more to take itself out the condition it is facing, take a stance, defend its position in media and start pondering to over selecting individuals who will present Afghanistan in talks with Taliban.In discussions on Afghan news channels, spokesmen of Karzai office fail to present a clear picture of government's standing in regards of peace proceedings. Lack of important information cause them not to be able to defend government's position.
What the Karzai administration has maintained since the news on Taliban's Qatar office ran on Western media is that the peace process should be led by Afghans.Nonetheless, at least until now, the US is leading the process. In the US-Taliban meetings held in Europe and Golf states, no representative from Karzai government or HPC was present. If representatives from Afghan government had been invited, we would at least be able to say, "The peace process is being partially led by Afghans."
Why has the US government kept its Afghan counterpart in dark on any improvements in talks with Taliban? This question is hard to answer. But it looks like, the US does not want anything to go wrong and involving Afghan officials at this crucial juncture of talks with Taliban would mean putting the developments at risk or annoying the Taliban who have denied talking with Karzai administration deeming it dependent on and puppet of the West.Also, the gap between Karzai and Obama administrations has widened over the last two years because of civilian killings caused by NATO and failure of Karzai government to tackle deep-rooted corruption in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have rejected direct talks with Afghan officials both in words and actions.
Karzai called Taliban as his 'brothers' but they killed his own brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai. Karzai called Taliban to renounce suicide attacks, targeted killings, kidnapping and other acts of insurgency and join the peace process but they assassinated his chief peace negotiator and ex president of Afghanistan, Burhanud Din Rabbani.
Amid improvement on talks with Taliban, President Karzai demanded for a cease-fire but that too has fallen on deaf ears as Taliban militants have continued government authorities. Taliban insurgents stormed a provincial office of Telecommunications Ministry in Sharan, capital of Pakitaka province on 10thJanuary, setting off a firefight that killed 10 people. On 12 January, a suicide car bomber killed five people and injured 10 others in Kandahar province. "Five people including the chief of Panjwayi district, his two sons and two bodyguards were killed in a suicide attack in Kandahar city today," provincial spokesman Zalmay Ayobi said.
In short, the Taliban have responded all the invitations of Karzai with bloody attacks. Karzai, though disappointed, is bound to support the peace deal with Taliban. During the last ten years of his government insecurity has only worsened. "We have failed to secure the lives of the people of Afghanistan," Karzai has said admitting the fact that Afghan war has not military solution.
Over the decade, the US has pursued a completely vague strategy in Afghanistan. A strategy, that is vague even to Afghan government. Therefore, the Presidential Palace is suffering from the pain of being sidelined from the process which it claims to have initiatedfor the first time.
The President office must be eagerly waiting for Marc Grossman, the senior U.S. diplomat who shepherded a series of secret U.S. meetings with the insurgents last year and is expected to pay a visit to Kabul in the coming days. It is yet to be seen whether, his visit will do enough to satisfy Hamid Karzai.
At the same time, for any peace process triumph, it is important both for US and Afghan government tokeep in picture certain leaders of Uzbeks, Hazaras and Tajiks as these ethnic groups form more than half of Afghan population. Their concerns would need to be addressed. Only an inclusive process of peace that ensures there would be no compromise on Afghan constitution, women and human rights and the gains of the last ten years would be acceptable to the people of Afghanistan. There are fewer hopes that Taliban would nod to all those basic conditions of Afghans.