KARACHI:
Pakistan has come a long way in trying to secure sustainable peace in Afghanistan, since the US invasion in 2001. Initially, it was only Pakistan that stood alone in maintaining that resolving the conflict in Afghanistan would be possible through diplomatic means. When the US government ran out of option in 2018, President Trump was left with no other option but to turn to Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring the Taliban to the table. The process of negotiations between the Taliban and US government saw many ups and downs, but only owing to Pakistan’s fully-devoted efforts did the two countries make an agreement on 29th February 2020. Since then a new political chaos has been ongoing in the region.
Indeed, there are wheels within wheels when it comes to understanding Afghan politics. Ethnic divisions, diverging interest of regional and global power, and numerous power contender inside the war-torn country, are some of the factors that make the situation much more complex. In the face of all these magnanimous challenges, Pakistan is still striving to bring all stakeholders onto a single platform for achieving long-lasting peace for Afghanistan in particular and the region in general. All in all, Pakistan should remain cautious not to meddle too much, leaving the intra-Afghan peace talks to the locals.
Mujtaba Hussain
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2020.
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