Afghan polls under UN watch proposed

Taliban remain concerned over fairness of upcoming elections

ISLAMABAD: The next round of talks between the United States and Afghan Taliban is expected to take place in the last week of this month in Doha.

Last month’s parleys in Qatar have both renewed hopes and fears about the future of Afghanistan.

Both the US and Taliban publicly acknowledged ‘progress’ in the six-day long talks in Doha as discussions focused mainly on two issues: timeline for US troops withdrawal and Afghan soil not to be used again by terrorist groups to attack west and other countries.

But according to fresh details, shared by officials here, suggested a proposal was also on the table to hold next Afghan elections under the United Nations (UN) supervision in case a peace deal is finalised.

The next round of talks would further dwell on the proposal as part of broader roadmap aimed at paving the way for ending the nearly two decades of long war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, which has facilitated and arranged these talks, is also part of the closed door discussions. A senior official privy to the development told The Express Tribune that a ‘broader framework’ covering all aspects of peace deal has been on the table.

The timeline for troops’ withdrawal guarantees that Afghan soil will never be used again by terrorists and ceasefire were steps would lay the groundwork for larger issues including the future makeup of the Afghan government, the official said.

Till now, Taliban have refused to sit with the Afghan government in the ongoing push for the peace deal. The official, however, said the next round might lead to ‘intra-Afghan dialogue’ where all groups would join heads to decide the fate of their country after decades of bloodshed.

There have been reports circulating that an interim set up may be announced in case a broader understanding is reached between all the stakeholders for the future of the war-stricken country. The crucial part, nevertheless, remains whether the Afghan Taliban and even Kabul’s current administration would be willing to share power.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is apparently upset over the way talks have progressed. His administration was sidelined at a time when he is seeking another five-year term in presidential elections scheduled for July this year.

But observers believe the fate of presidential elections hinges on the ongoing peace talks. Ideally, the US and other stakeholders want to conclude the deal before July and hope the Taliban would take part in these polls.

However, officials said Taliban have so far shown no interest in being a part of the electoral process. In fact, during the last round of Doha parleys, Taliban representatives reportedly told the US they did not expect polls to be fair under the current system.

To allay their concerns, it was proposed the elections could be arranged under direct UN supervision and other international organisations.   Countries, which have considerable clout over the Taliban, have been pushing the insurgent group to be part of the election process.

Taliban, however, have given mixed signals so far, making skeptics to fear the return of chaos that followed after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.

While Taliban spokesperson insisted that they are not seeking “monopoly on power” in a future administration in Afghanistan, Sher Abbas Stanekzai, who led the Taliban in recent negotiations with the US, insisted that the group did not recognise the Afghan government and expected the Afghan army to be disbanded after a peace deal.

When asked, a senior foreign office official explained that these were the issues Afghans had to sort out among themselves. “Our role is only to facilitate,” the official added while requesting anonymity.