The Pakistani leadership assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his recent visit to Islamabad that it would try its best to persuade the Haqqani network to begin a meaningful peace dialogue with Kabul upon the request of the Afghan president, who believes that without the participation of this most influential Taliban faction the ongoing reconciliation process in Afghanistan is not likely to succeed, Pakistan Today learned on Sunday.
President Karzai formally sought Pakistan’s help in pressing the Haqqani network to engage in peace talks with Kabul during his two-day visit to Islamabad that ended on Saturday. He made the request during talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. “Pakistani leaders, in their response, assured the Afghan president that they will try their best to oblige Afghanistan on this count,” said a Pakistani diplomat who asked not to be named.
However, he said that the main hurdle in the way of Kabul’s talks with the Haqqani network was the United States’ opposition to idea. The US believes that the Haqqani network cannot be separated from al Qaeda and like the latter, it would never renounce violence against the US and its allies. “It has been decided hence that both Islamabad and Kabul will try to persuade the US to grant its approval to the inclusion of the Haqqani network in peace talks along with other Taliban groups,” the diplomat said. He said it was not only Pakistani authorities that believed engaging the Haqqani network in talks was vital for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan, but President Karzai was also firmly of the same view.
According to US and Afghan officials, the Haqqanis hold major clout on both sides of the Afghan border and through Siraj Haqqani’s leadership, the group provides a critical bridge to Pakistani Taliban groups and al Qaeda-linked foreign fighters.
An Afghan diplomat based in Islamabad told Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity about reports that the Haqqani network’s leaders were willing to talk, but such reports had also reached Kabul in the past as well. “However, we believe that Pakistan’s role is very crucial for any efforts to engage the Haqqanis in peace talks. Pakistan could persuade this group for meaningful talks because of Jalaluddin Haqqani’s past close links with Pakistani security organisations,” he said.
