Afghan citizens are still waiting to witness peace in their country — a country which has been in the throes of wars for decades. Even though the US has worked hard to carry out its commitments of the first phase of the peace deal by reducing its troops and forces from five military bases in Afghanistan, the plan for Taliban and Kabul to negotiate for further course of action is still at a very premature stage.
The intra-Afghan dialogue provides a window of opportunity to stop violence and unrest erupting in the country. This is because the torturous history of Afghanistan bears testimony to the fact that Taliban’s real ace of spade is their ability to create violence. However, by compelling the US superpower to leave the battlefield and come to the negotiating table, does the Kabul government think that by doing so they stand a chance against them? The answer is truly obvious in this regard. With real facts on ground, analysts conclude that even under the best circumstances, the following five years will be very crucial for Afghanistan. As the Ghani administration and the Taliban settle the scores to get the larger piece of the pie, it’s the people of Afghanistan that will again pay the brunt of the power struggle.
With the advent of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, it is evident that Afghanistan will continuously battle short- and long-term challenges unless the concerned stakeholders involved are truly committed to bringing about long-awaited peace in the country.
Hadia Mukhtar
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2020.
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