Hekmatyar in Pakistan

Hekmatyar may be able to convince the Taliban to take a step back

Former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is in Pakistan on a three-day visit, and the Afghan peace process is at the top of his agenda. The visit comes just a month after Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghan High Peace Council, was in Pakistan on what appeared to be a mostly positive visit. Several analysts have noted that it appears Pakistan is hedging its bets by reaching out to the maximum number of Afghan political leaders to ensure warm relations with the neighbouring country once the Taliban and the government in Kabul agree to end hostilities.

It is notable that the Pakistani ambassador in Afghanistan has also recently been meeting with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and other political leaders who were less friendly with Pakistan. Some combination of these leaders will invariably be part of whatever transitional body comes up as a result of any peace agreement, and in the case of ‘minor leaders’, could still be players in any government that is elected once the Taliban enter the democratic fold. Hekmatyar, for example, has limited political power through his party, but given that he finished third in last year’s elections despite having no backing from the Americans, it is clear that he still enjoys some support in the country.

Unfortunately, the two men that run Kabul — Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani — have not been able to get the peace talks moving from their end, while the Taliban have also been accused of throwing their own spanners in the works. It is also becoming harder to ignore the US-Taliban peace deal — the basis for the inter-Afghan talks — going sideways before our eyes. The return of violent exchanges on the field and public accusations in the media do not serve the Afghan people or the Americans. This is another place that people like Hekmatyar regain significance.

Hekmatyar retains mostly warm relations with the Taliban. Given his improved ties with the government in Kabul, he could get involved in the talks as a negotiation facilitator. At the bare minimum, he may be able to convince the Taliban to take a step back.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2020.

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