Baradar’s capture in February 2010 was always a sticking point with Afghanistan. That was when the Karzai government decided it would have to pursue negotiations with the Taliban. Almost simultaneously, Pakistan started arresting Taliban leaders that it had previously denied were in the country. From the point of view of the Afghans, Pakistan was seen as stymieing any potential peace talks by taking one side out of the equation. The thinking in Pakistan seems to have been that since we might not be a party to the negotiations, it would be better to start taking action against the Afghan Taliban. Both sides now seem to be on the same page.
Since — in the two years that we have been holding him — we have probably got all the information Baradar possessed, giving Afghan officials access to him is mostly a symbolic move. But even that marks progress in the fraught relationship with Afghanistan. The next potential stumbling block may be if the Afghans insist that releasing Baradar is essential to the health of the peace process. In that case, Pakistan should demand that Baradar return to Afghanistan and never be allowed on our soil again. The peace talks may end up giving the Taliban a small victory but that is a price we may have to pay for friendly relations with our neighbour.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2012.
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democracy should be flourish
Pakistan has always tried to have a stable and peaceful Afghanistan and has had access to Afghan Taliban in order to wield its influence for the future peace in Afghanistan. This could be the reason that both the Taliban and Pakistani forces never attacked each other. TTP, however, is a different story and is known to have links with anti-Pakistan elements in India and Afghanistan. With the latest development where Pakistan has played a critical role in bridging the gap between Afghan government, Pakistan has achieved a moral high ground and vindicated its long-standing position of not attacking the Taliban under the US pressure. However, the peace in Afghanistan is still a far cry. Increased influence of India in Afghanistan will be a catalyst in perpetuating the chaos because despite their recent reported overtures to India, the Taliban will not accept Indian influence in Afghanistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar should be allowed to join his comrades Mullah Zaeef and Mullah Motawakil in Afghanistan and establish a legitimate political wing. Furthermore, they should cut off all ties with their patrons, end hostilities and participate in the democratic process.