“There is neither a peace process nor an endgame in Afghanistan,” said senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai while addressing a roundtable organised by the Institute of Regional Studies on the subject, “Afghanistan: An Elusive Peace Process”, on Wednesday.
He argued that all the peace talks were heavy on cosmetics and light in substance. While dispelling the notions about an endgame in Afghanistan, he said that all the signs were pointing toward a long-term US presence there no matter how limited in numbers. This, he believed, would mean a continuing war and instability in Afghanistan and, by extension, in Pakistan as well. He added that the long-term US presence would soon be institutionalised with a strategic partnership agreement between Afghanistan and the US after endorsement by the Afghan Loya Jirga, spelling an unstable future for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yusufzai also viewed the strategic agreement between Afghanistan and India as an impediment towards peace in Afghanistan, because he believed that the agreement had killed any incentive that Pakistan would have had in continuing to support the peace process. He shared that the Taliban had an office in Doha, Qatar, with Tayyab Agha in charge. He disclosed that he called it an act of sizing up the opponent by both parties and not any serious effort at bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan.
The journalist said the way the NATO wanted to negotiate from a position of strength, the Taliban wanted to do the same and would never agree to a settlement as long as NATO ambitions would remain unclear to them. Yusufzai also made the interesting disclosure that some of the Taliban commanders negotiating with NATO in Germany were on the UN Blacklist and could not technically travel internationally. Yusufzai termed the story of Afghanistan characterised by conflict, corruption, and narcotics. He was of the view that all the elections in Afghanistan were rigged and that warlords were ruling the roost in the country.
He added that Karzai had also lost support and credibility after his second re-election.
Yusufzai maintained that the Taliban had fought the battle in Afghanistan with heavy casualties, but they were able to reinforce their ranks through fresh recruitment despite being outnumbered 15 to 1 by their opponents.
