Peace with Kabul

Gestures of reconciliation between Afghanistan and Pakistan are most welcome - and that is the way to go. While both the countries are on the receiving end owing to the presence of a plethora of non-state actors in their midst, all they need is astute diplomacy and political willingness to act against the dreaded elements. The envelope was pushed further in a more comprehensive manner as a high-powered delegation from Islamabad led by Special Envoy on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq met the Taliban leadership in Kabul on Tuesday, and agreed to overcome the obstacles in their bilateral relationship.

The meetings with Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is a great start. It, at least, helped in melting the ice as both the parties were able to spell out the irritants and reservations in a reconciliatory tone. The rubbing of shoulders, after a break of almost 15 months though, went on track as pertinent issues such as security, terrorism, trade and commerce came under discussion. The breakthrough was a consensus to make 'joint efforts' to bring peace and security and foster economic growth.

Pakistan has always been a strategic neighbour of Afghanistan, and is home to more than two million refugees. Likewise, Islamabad has been at the vanguard in taking care of essential supplies to the western frontier in order to ensure that there isn't a humanitarian crisis. But all that Pakistan is eager to achieve in reciprocity is a firm action from Taliban 2.0 leadership against TTP which has unleashed a reign of terror on both sides of the divide.

The TTP, along with Al Qaeda, IS-K and other homegrown fissures, is a tangible security threat to the region and beyond, and cannot be overlooked under any connotations of exigency. Moreover, Kabul is under an international commitment to ensure that its soil is not used for terror activities against the neighbours. This piece of reminder is what Islamabad keeps on sharing, hoping that congeniality and responsible diplomacy will prevail, and not the knee-jerk reactions, as has been the case.