One of the key issues that are outshined by Afghanistan’s presidential election and worries about its backfire is the destiny of peace negotiation with Taliban militants. During recent days, High Peace Council (HPC) reported the loss of Motasim Agha Jan, Taliban’s former finance Minister in United Arab Emirates. Afghan newspapers and officials linked his loss to invisible hands trying to sabotage Taliban peace negotiation with Afghan government. On Thursday, domestic and foreign newspapers quoted members of High Peace Council about finding clue of his whereabouts. Seemingly, he is in the prison of Emirates which fortunately ends to propaganda that he might be transferred to Pakistan and put in detention. However, the suspicion that Pakistan might be behind his detention is not over yet.
No doubt, the relation between Kabul and Islamabad is not friendly. Officials on the two sides of Durand Line exchanged harsh criticism against one another of duplicity of being openly supportive and clandestinely of being spoiler. Kabul never hesitates to turn the edge of its criticism for organizing highly complex attacks in the barricade areas inside the country. President Karzai often said that Taliban militants do not have the capacity to carry out such spectacular attacks on Afghan and foreign security forces. The most recent came after attacks on Serena hotel in Kabul where 4 foreign citizens along with several Afghans, two innocent children, were killed.
The National Directorate of Security formally announced that its documents show that Taliban were not even aware of the attack, highlighting the contradiction between claims of Taliban spokesman and the way attack actually happened. Taliban spokesman right after the incident claimed that four of its devotees first of all blew up explosive-laden vehicle in the front of the door and then entered into building with heavy arms. But the video clips recorded by security cameras of the hotel displayed a complete different story. Unlike the statement of Taliban, four shabby civilians at their twenties formally crossed all check points without sparking any suspicion. First of all they entered to the parking of hotel with black vehicle. Then at the front they got the body checkup. Despite their suspicious move and completely rural behavior, security guards allowed them inside hotel with not scrutinized checkup. Based on the statement of hotel employees they were not familiar with basic behavior of modern life. While smoking cigarettes they just throw their filter on floor of dining hall. And instead taking food from buffet, they called waiters to bring them food.
Similarly, Afghan newspapers displayed their boots which were around 30 centimeter long and also so dusty and dirty. But despite all those suspiciousness, how nobody noticed and did not ask themselves how such individual even found way to the only five star hotel in Kabul? The dubiousness further inflamed as Afghan intelligence revealed the video record of a Pakistani diplomat and absence of Pakistani residents who are working in the hotel during that particular night.
So, all these issues along with unawareness of Taliban strengthened the notion that some organization other than Taliban militants was behind the incident which made Afghan officials to point finger toward Islamabad.
Similarly, during last few years, the eastern provinces came under missile fires from Pakistan. Despite huge complains of Kabul, Islamabad has remained evasive of taking the responsibility. As result of those fires, hundreds of families left their houses while Islamabad whether rejected any fire or said that they passed unintentionally due to military exercise near the border.
On the other hand, Kabul never accepted such accuses. It alleged that its neighbor wants to shell regions near the border in order to make resident flee and pave the way for crossing of Taliban militants. Due to similar tense relation, Pakistan often mounted pressure through closing down its border which plays the role of veil in Afghan business and economics. If the border between two countries remain closed for just one day, the prices of essential goods uncontrollably spiral upward which is effective in making Kabul to change its behavior.
Likewise, other activities of Pakistan is analyzed on the basis of the same context. Kabul hardly tried to persuade Islamabad to release Taliban prisoners. They were/are in view that Islamabad is putting those Taliban leaders who are tilted to be flexible or even commence a serious peace negotiation with Kabul. As result, Pakistan released numbers of Taliban low and high ranks but none did anything to show that Kabul was right. There were tough negotiations about the release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the second in command of Taliban militants. HPC and other officials were claiming that he was the person who was following a serious negotiation with Kabul in order to put an end to ongoing crisis.
But since his release last year, there is nothing we know about him. It is not clear whether he is in contact with Kabul at all or not? But it seems highly unlikely that any Afghan official has any sort of contact with him because members of HPC and other officials showed that they actually cannot keep any secret. Sooner or later, they would reveal anything regarding the peace process. Now almost one year passed from his release, if there was anything like that, I really doubt that officials kept them in secret. The bitter reality is this that Mullah Baradar perhaps also joined the rank of other released prisoners or not in a condition to make any move for peace talks.
Therefore, both the destiny of peace talks as well as deep-rooted suspicion between two countries has erupted from a blurred prospective.