Myopic Taliban

The Afghan Taliban apparently want to live in a world of their own, and are not responsive to regional realities. That assumption was squarely solidified as Taliban 2.0 refused to attend a peace conference summoned in Tehran. Their unqualified reservations do not go well with other regional states; and Iran, especially, felt let down by this diplomatic snub. No reason was cited by Kabul for not attending the moot, which was specifically called to discuss the restive country's situation. It seems the reclusive regime feels the pressure as it has not been able to live up to the Doha Accord that required it to nail down the terror nexus on its soil, and to form an inclusive government. The Taliban's absence further complicated efforts to coordinate a unified strategy for the collective good of the region.

The conference — attended by the CARs, Russia and Pakistan — was unanimous that terrorism emanating from Afghan soil remains a significant threat to the region. A major drawback of Kabul's non-participation was that a joint communique could not be drafted, abandoning the regional initiative half-heartedly. Iran led from the front by exhibiting its willingness to maintain dialogue, exchange views and coordinate on security and development issues. Pakistan's one-point submission, which was seconded by all member states, was that Taliban's accountability is likely to remain central in future regional discussions.

Tehran, a while ago, had also hosted talks among anti-Taliban Afghan political groups, culminating in the "National Solidarity of Afghanistan's Political Parties and Movements" declaration. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons for Taliban 2.0 staying away. If so, that confirms the myopic vision of the dispensation in Kabul as the Afghan factions were on the mark in pushing for a resolution of the Afghan crisis through dialogue. Afghan Taliban's unwillingness to engage at multilateral forums is all too evident. They torpedoed similar talks with Pakistan in Doha and Istanbul, pushing the equation to a dead-end.