Pak wants preservation of US-Taliban deal

Pakistan wants the US-Taliban landmark deal and the intra-Afghan dialogue to be preserved as concerns grow that the fragile peace process may be derailed after the Biden administration started review of the February 29 accord and indications that international forces will not leave Afghanistan in May.

Although, the Biden administration intends to review the peace accord with Taliban, Pakistan is confident that there will be no “major change” in the overall US policy towards Afghanistan, two senior officials, who are closely working on Pakistan’s Afghan policy told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

Both of them spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

There have been question marks over whether the Biden administration would abide by the February 29 deal and withdraw troops from Afghanistan by May.

Indications are that the US plans to stay on and would not withdraw until certain conditions are met. NATO, which also has around 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, is also not planning to withdraw either.

Reuter’s news agency, quoting at least four NATO officials, on Sunday reported that the international forces will stay on beyond May.

This is contrary to the February 29 deal that envisages complete withdraw of US and other international forces by summer.

However, the new US administration and the Afghan government have been accusing the Taliban of not meeting the conditions for troop drawdown.

One of the key conditions include the reduction in violence if not a comprehensive ceasefire.

But Pakistanis officials are not surprised by the Biden administration intention to review the deal.

“It is not a surprise that the new US administration is reviewing the Afghan peace deal. This is a standard practice,” remarked one official.

The question, the official said, remains that what changes the US wants to seek in the current peace process. “Do they (US) want to scrap the February 29 deal and impose a settlement with mere 2,500 troops,” asked another official. “Or they send more troops to fight the Taliban.”

Both these options, as per officials, are not practical given the ground situation. “That is why we have been consistently saying there is no military solution to the Afghan war.

Therefore, it is vital to preserve the February 29 deal and the intra-Afghan dialogue,” the official added. Pakistan has played a central role in brokering the US-Taliban deal and the intraAfghan dialogue.

The Biden administration has been in contact with “concerned quarters” on the issue of Afghanistan, according to the officials.

While Pakistan insists preserving the peace process, it also wants “orderly and responsible” withdrawal from Afghanistan by the US forces.