Timeframe of talks uncertain as Taliban still undecided

Official says the insurgent group is unwilling to negotiate at this stage

ISLAMABAD:

Negotiators appointed by the Afghan Taliban are still undecided on whether to hold talks with President Ashraf Ghani’s government, leading to speculation that the much awaited peace process, expected to begin in the first week of this month, may be delayed.

“The Taliban are unwilling to join talks at this stage as they think the Kabul administration has not indicated a positive response to their calls for certain steps,” a source familiar with the background contacts told The Express Tribune on Friday.



However, Afghanistan’s ambassador for Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal dispelled this impression when approached. He argued that the first week of this month was ‘indicative’ that the talks would take place ‘within days’.

“Effectively, the talks should not be considered as being delayed. A few days before or after the indicative day should not be considered a significant deviation,” Zakhilwal said. Other sources said “a lot is happening in the background,” without giving any more details. Afghan officials remain hopeful that process could start any time.

Pakistan role key for talks

Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, who will lead his country in the expected talks, said Kabul considers Islamabad’s role a key to the talks.





“Pakistan has the leverage and influence with Taliban leaders which we expect it to use. We also expect that the leverage needs to be used against all those elements who Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) members [US, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan] feel are not amenable to peace in Afghanistan,” the minister told a Pakistani delegation at the unofficial security dialogue in Kabul this week. “It will also depend on how and whether Pakistan delivers on the commitments it has made to peace and counter-terrorism in Afghanistan in the weeks and months to come,” he said.

Karzai acknowledged that as of now, Pakistan has been forthcoming as far as its commitment to the peace process within the QCG framework was concerned. “As the QCG is about to kick off with high expectations attached to it, it offers us an opportunity to tell the new generation that Pakistan is playing an important role in the reconciliation efforts through,” he said.



The minister added that Kabul wants people of the two countries to get closer to understand each other better. “We want the ulema (religious scholars) of the two countries to get together and condemn violence in the name of Islam, including suicide bombings.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2016.