Peace with Taliban: Kabul wants Islamabad to play visible role

Security official says military operation in tribal areas targeting Haqqani network.


Kamran Yousaf December 14, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has asked Pakistan to play a more ‘visible’ role in persuading the Afghan Taliban to come to the negotiation table in a move suggesting that Kabul continues to believe that Islamabad still holds the key for an elusive peace deal.

The request for Pakistan’s proactive role in a possible peace deal, comes from the new administration in Afghanistan led by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Dr Abullah Abdullah, diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune.


The change of government in Kabul, after a decade of rule by former president Hamid Karzai, is seen as a new beginning for both neighbours to move away from an acrimonious relationship of mistrust to one built on mutual cooperation.



But that cooperation appears to be hinged on Pakistan’s role in brokering a deal between Afghanistan and insurgents.


The Afghan president during his recent visit to Islamabad sought Pakistan’s help in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.


His request for help stems from the widely held perception that Pakistan’s security establishment, because of its historic ties with the Taliban, can still push insurgents to make peace with the Ghani administration.


“There is a strong perception in Afghanistan that Pakistan’s security establishment still controls the Taliban, despite denial by Pakistan,” commented a western diplomat, who is engaged with both Islamabad and Kabul.


“I think reality lies between the two extremes,” the diplomat added saying that clear Pakistan support for peace talks in Afghanistan backed by practical steps could go a long away in addressing the longstanding misgivings between the two neighbours.



Despite the recent flurry of diplomatic initiatives aimed at generating a better appreciation of Pakistan’s limited influence in Afghanistan and its willingness to facilitate the peace process, western diplomats continue to hold the view that fears of a possible ‘proxy war’ between Pakistan and India in post-2014 Afghanistan might compel authorities in Islamabad to keep their options open.


Islamabad has publicly insisted that it cannot lead the peace process in Afghanistan and has repeatedly said that it is ready to play the role of a facilitator. A senior Pakistani official contended that the country was doing whatever it could to help facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.


The official, who wished not to be identified, also dismissed the perception that Pakistani security apparatus enjoyed the level of influence that it once had over the Afghan Taliban.


The ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan Agency, where fighters from the deadliest Afghan insurgent network - the Haqqanis – have also been targeted in a ‘clear manifestation of our policy to act against all groups without any discrimination,’ the official argued.


Army Chief General Raheel Sharif during his two-week long trip to the United States earlier this month, tried to convince his American interlocutors that Pakistan had no favorites in Afghanistan.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2014.


 

COMMENTS (12)

Afghan Maihan | 9 years ago | Reply

@ G Griselda

The leaders of these so called illiterate fundamentalists are educated people from Lahore and Raiwind, do you prescribe the slight alignment and trigger squeeze method for them too? Don't just blame the foot soldiers and ignore the well heeled ideologues that are chameleons and shape shifters.

US CENTCOM | 9 years ago | Reply

The recent meetings between Afghanistan and Pakistan clearly suggest that both countries wish to see peace prevail throughout the Af/Pak region, and furthermore, the leaders are willing to build on the improving relationship and address any shared concerns. The recent transfer of a senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader, Latifullah Mehsud, signifies the importance of team work between Afghanistan, Pakistan and U.S. It is no secret that the terrorist organizations like the TTP and the Haqqani Network have taken full advantage of the divide between both countries by regularly infiltrating the region with their acts of terror. We remain fully confident in regards to the future of the Af/Pak region, and wish to see the regional partners working together to negate the common threat of terrorism. Last month, the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard G. Olson, praised confidence-building measures by both sides, including Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Ambassador Olson said: "I think there is quite genuinely a basis for a new relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both sides are aware of this historical moment and making efforts to seize it."

Ali Khan Digital Engagement Team, USCENTCOM

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