Talks of new talks: ‘US-Taliban negotiations destined to fail’

UoP former VC says Pakistan should not shy from its role in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD:

The American plan to reopen negotiations with the Taliban is destined to fail as they have a very superficial understanding of the country and its people. This was the opinion of Dr Azmat Hayat Khan, former Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Peshawar and an expert on Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Speaking at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute on Tuesday, Dr Hayat said, “The proposed talks with the Taliban cannot succeed as the US has no idea who the Taliban were, who they will talk to, and who will represent whom.”

He said the talks can only provide a smokescreen for America “to end the present phase of the American adventure in Afghanistan”.

Dr Hayat said that Afghanistan’s primary problem is mistrust — between the Afghans and the Americans, the Afghan people and the Afghan government, the US and other NATO countries, and the tribes and the ethnic groups with regional countries directly affected by the conflict.

“There is no easy or early end to the conflict due to confused American policies and the failure of its strategies in a country where corruption is rampant and the most thriving business is providing security for international agencies, NGOs, warlords and other powerful elite,” he added.

Talking about Pakistan’s role, he said it could not be a spectator to all this as its interests are closely bound with the developments in Afghanistan. “This was being increasingly realised in Afghan centres of power following the economic integration between the two neighbours that has grown in this critical period of Afghanistan’s history,” he added.

“The common Afghan considers America as an enemy of Islam and American soldiers as ruthless, cowardly and immoral,” the professor opined.

He concluded by emphasising that Pakistan has an important role to play in Afghanistan and should not shy away from providing all kinds of facilities to the Afghan people, particularly in education.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2012.