Murree meeting

Achieving peace in Afghanistan is indeed a process that will require months and years of rehabilitation. Regular meetings such as the one that took place on June 22 in Murree between key former and potentially upcoming Afghan leaders and their Pakistani counterparts will need to occur. Underlying anxieties of the participants in the Afghan peace process are high as the US, Afghanistan and the Taliban return to Doha next month for talks. Although not a meeting in which critical strategies were discussed specifically, Pakistan needs to continue its efforts towards achieving peace across its western border as it has also suffered significant collateral damage from the long-drawn war in Afghanistan.

Previously, Afghanistan has been dubious about Islamabad’s commitment to peace. This is a change in circumstances where Gulbaddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, has acknowledged Pakistan’s effort past and present. A minor caveat is that the former Afghan PM’s government in the 1970s was inspired by Pakistan’s Jamaat-i-Islami and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, both parties with conservative core values.

On that note, it would be worthwhile to examine the stance of the Afghan Taliban, who want to be left on their own and instill Islamic principles in governance but on their terms. Stability cannot be achieved with a sudden pullout of troops, either. There is some agreement that both the Taliban and the Afghan government want others out of their country but the stakes are too high for that simplistic solution. Pakistan has been supportive of strategies that will bring stability but important players such as the US have to be taken into confidence recognising its sentiments as well.

It is important to reiterate that this think tank was attended by Afghan figures who had been critical of Pakistan in the past. Also noticeable, however, was former president Hamid Karazi’s absence although attributed to some last minute demands that could not be met. A positive tone has been set for the talks in Doha, as the US will have taken note, as well as for President Ashraf Ghani’s upcoming visit, assuming situations remain stable with the Afghan Taliban.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2019.

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