Assessing effectiveness of OIC-planned conference

Taliban reject moot, label it ‘intelligence ploy,’ ask clerics to avoid it

ISLAMABAD: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has planned an international conference of religious scholars in Saudi Arabia to bring about peace in war-torn Afghanistan. The moot—the first-ever major event to be hosted by the OIC — has been scheduled at a time when the Taliban have intensified attacks in parts of the country.

However, the Taliban’s rejection of the interchange — seen as an ‘intelligence ploy’—will take away from the effectiveness of the conference.

Not so unanimous

OIC Secretary General Iyad Amin Madani said scholars will gather in Makkah and Madina between October 8 and October 10 to finalise their stance on the war and their role to end the conflict.

Madani had met Afghan leaders in Kabul last month to share details of the event and was also able to meet Pakistani officials in Islamabad to receive their backing for the conference.

The Taliban, however, rejected the event and urged religious scholars to stay away from it. They said the involvement of ulema could give a “legal face to the illegitimate Kabul administration” if an edict against the ongoing war in Afghanistan was issued.

Gauging effectiveness

The proposed conference is considered important to promote peace in Afghanistan if it is pursued with determination and government support.

The OIC, bolstered by the Saudi Arabia, has decided to initiate the reconciliation process, even though Islamic nations and the kingdom have had no significant peacemaking role in Afghanistan in the past.

Simultaneously, there is also an impression that Islamic countries had left Pakistan alone to deal with the Afghan problem and now Afghan leaders were halting the reconciliation.

However, both the Taliban and Kabul have discredited the role of Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States.

Afghan analysts are of view that the Afghan issue cannot be resolved through the OIC and other international conferences as outside bodies do not understand Afghanistan’s ground realities.

Casting doubts

“The OIC and organisers of other international conferences must first discuss causes of the war,” an Afghan analyst and writer Ahmadullah Ahmadzai told The Express Tribune on Friday.

He said the OIC has not succeeded in solving problems of Palestine, Syria, Egypt and Kashmir. “The OIC is working for the interests of international powers and not for people,” Ahmadzai said.

Nazar Mutmaeen, a Kabul-based analyst who regularly writes on the Taliban and political issues, said former president Hamid Karzai had also tried to use the OIC forum to seek legitimacy for his regime, but differences between him and the US could not produce results.

“The conference will not be productive since the Taliban will not attend it,” he said, adding, the Taliban have advised top clerics in Afghanistan to stay away from the moot.

Mutmaeen told The Express Tribune President Ashraf Ghani had stated that he would seek OIC’s support for the legitimacy of Afghan forces’ fight earlier. KSA had initially refused to offer the venue for the gathering but continued efforts made them reverse their decision.

The verdict

The conference could help in the reconciliation process if OIC and KSA remain neutral and bring the Taliban to the negotiation table. At the same time, OIC should push Afghan rulers, who are focused on accumulating more power, to unveil its policy towards the peace talks.

There are questions about the intentions of the Afghan government as some influential leaders oppose reconciliation with the Taliban and prefer to continue the war.

Moreover, after refusing to enter peace talks with international troops for years, Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) Chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar decided to alter the pattern this year. He had promised to end armed resistance and shift focus to the political process but these efforts have yet to manifest.

The key to reaching a peace deal is to negotiate with President Ghani and his Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah. However, HIA’s public accusation that Abdullah was creating hurdles for possible peace deal has left matters unresolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2016.