By Imtiaz Gul
The last few weeks have been quite eventful as far as Afghanistan is concerned. And the coming few weeks also seem to be equally promising and interesting, with a big gathering of major Afghan stakeholders this weekend at Doha.
Let us see why there is some optimism in the air?
I had in an open letter in February this year to President Ashraf Ghani requested to bury the bitter past and work for a better future. He eventually did so and visited Pakistan late last month after nearly four years. He also called it a new chapter in the bilateral relations.Â
Ghani also seems to have dropped his opposition to a possible meeting in the next few days between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Taliban. An earlier attempt in January had failed because of strongly motivated objections by Kabul at the United Nations.
At the same time US President Donald Trump, on his part, appears to have acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts in the Afghan peace process by designating the anti-state Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization
This of course is a big confidence building measure, particularly when we consider that the United Kingdom has given asylum to the BLA chief Harbiyar Marri.
Designation of BLA as a terrorist organisation is indeed a big signal even to other countries where fugitives from the Pakistani law are holding out and using those territories to defame the country of their origin.
The most important of the developments is the continuing US-Taliban dialogue at Doha. Taliban are now indicating they would like the United States to stay on after the troop pull-out for reconstruction and economic development of the country. This is a big departure from their so far reticent demand for a complete American and foreign troops’ withdrawal.
The readiness to allow the US stay engaged in the economic reconstruction and development of Afghanistan looks like a good face-saving excuse for the Taliban as well as a middle ground for other stakeholders.
The flexibility in the Taliban demand also suggests they finally gave in to pressures and persuasions by the top Pakistani leadership, who had been urging them to demonstrate some flexibility if they want to move forward in talks with the US and the Kabul government. Final peace settlement will be possible only through an inter-Afghan dialogue, they were communicated.
If the meeting between President Trump and Prime minister Imran Khan does take place on 22nd July, it would mean the recognition of Pakistan’s contribution to the peace process. Events, it seems, have once again placed Pakistan at the center of developments around Afghanistan.
A settlement between the Taliban and the US as well as a possible intra-Afghan dialogue, perhaps, is not very far. If that happens, this would underline that only well-calibrated steps, and dispassionate talks grounded in political realities can ease tensions and mitigate conflicts. The key stakeholders, however, would need to insulate their positive constructive work against possible trouble-making spoilers both in and outside Afghanistan. Together they must shut out spoilers and embrace all reconciliatory and facilitating elements to turn the Doha process into a success.
All one can say at this moment is that the resolve of President Trump to drawdown or pull his troops out of Afghanistan in a mutually amenable way, commitment of support by PM Khan and the sincerity as well as flexibility of major Afghan stakeholders will be on trial in the coming few weeks.
