Istanbul talks dilemma

Afghan Taliban's intransigence is derailing consensus and headway at Istanbul talks. The second round of parleys on Sunday, mediated by Qatar and Turkiye, saw a cold shoulder from Taliban 2.0 as they not only kept on shifting the goalposts, but were also in a denial mode in acknowledging that terror elements are housed in the Southwest Asian state. This apparently is an exercise in frustration as they are trying to come up with excuses for their failure to clean the Augean Stable. Moreover, the surprising insistence from the dispensation in Kabul to include 'rogue' elements in talks further exposed their cahoots with the terror nexus, and this necessitates some strong reprimanding from the honest brokers and the world community.

The categorical reluctance from the Taliban delegation to take verifiable action against TTP and other militant groups operating from Afghan soil clogs not only success prospects of arbitration, but also endangers the expectations for regional peace and stability. While the first day of the talks were consumed in hammering out perceptional differences between the two sides, the need is to jot down rational talking points for a breakthrough. The onus is on Taliban 2.0 to find a common ground on the issue of dismantling terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan, and to duly cooperate with Pakistan in this regard.

Kabul's narrative of ignorance on the terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan stood discredited, as Pakistani security forces, in a recent action, foiled major attempts by terrorists to infiltrate into Kurram and North Waziristan districts of K-P. At least 25 terrorists were killed in the ensuing operation on Sunday. Incidentally, the eastern frontier also saw fissures as Indian forces violated the ceasefire in AJK's Leepa Sector, further confirming the shady nexus with their new-found ally in Kabul. Istanbul talks are an opportunity in disaster for Pakistan and Afghanistan to mend fences, and usher in a new era of cooperation in counterterrorism. That is the way to go as the tendency of harbouring gun-wielders and politics of banking on proxies had backfired.