It would be fair to say that the Taliban are indispensable to the Afghan peace process.
ISLAMABAD: This refers to Rasul Bakhsh Rais’s article of June 27 titled “Talking to the Taliban”. Before embarking on negotiations with the Taliban, the world needs to see that the mindset of the Taliban is changing, or at least has potential for a change. Having said that, all those who are opposing dialogue with them also need to understand and realise that while the Taliban are ruthless and have killed their opponents with impunity, they are a reality in Afghanistan. Hence, any peace process that takes place without them will not be long-lasting or sustainable. In that sense, it would be fair to say that they are indispensable to the Afghan peace process. Some kind of compromise needs to be found between them and those who oppose them and want to deny them any role in the peace process.
Ghulam Yaseen
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2011.
