For the Afghan government, at present, nothing is more important than to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table and discuss the future of the country and lay down foundations for a lasting peace. As the latest media reports reveal, this is actually happening with meetings between the two sides having started clandestinely. Secret contacts between the Afghan government and Mullah Omar-led Taliban through Afghanistan’s former Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta and Taliban leader Mullah Biradar, currently under the custody of Pakistani authorities, have come to the attention of media and wider public.
Many have hailed this as a major breakthrough on the part of President Hamid Karzai in his peace efforts. The reports reveal that Mr Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, who is currently serving the Afghan government as Advisor to President Karzai on peace and security, had visited Pakistan secretly and held a meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani, commonly known as Mullah Biradar. Mullah Biradar is considered to be among the most confidential aides of Mullah Mohammad Omar. He was arrested in Karachi in 2010. Media reports say that Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rahman Malik has also confirmed the meeting between Mullah Biradar and an Afghan government official. Though details and any outcome of this breakthrough meeting couldn’t be ascertained but the Afghan circles have shown considerable interest, saying it was a milestone towards peace and stability in their war devastated country.
A high level Afghan diplomat in Pakistan, when approached by Pakistan Today, avoided further comments but with jubilant tone remarked, “It shows that the Taliban leadership was favoring reconciliation and opposing hostilities.” Mullah Biradar has served Tehrik Taliban Afghanistan as its top military commander and strategist, and is considered to be the number two in command after Mullah Omar. He is also related to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar. Biradar was arrested in January 2010 from Karachi. His arrest, according to Pakistani officials, was made in a joint action conducted by Pakistan and American secret agencies. However, after his arrest, the Afghan officials had shown concern as Mullah Biradar was on a peace mission to Pakistan and was engaged in dialogues with fellow Taliban. Later, the Afghan government formally demanded Mullah Biradar’s extradition but the request was declined due to lacking of any treaty between Pakistan and Afghanistan in this respect. However, the Afghan government continued its efforts and has now succeeded in holding dialogues with Mullah Biradar through Rangeen Dadfar Spanta. These talks are the first ever direct contact between the Karzai government and Taliban.
Through some highly placed sources, Pakistan Today has learned that Afghanistan Peace Mission Chief Salah-ud-Din Rabbani was scheduled to reach Islamabad in the second week of August but he had delayed the plan. In fact, Rabbni, who is son of late Prof Burhan-ud-Din Rabbani intends to talk with the leaders and representatives of (Afghan) resistance forces in Pakistan.
For this purpose, he is seeking help of his late father’s friends, like Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulan Sami-ul-Haq, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and several others. Many of Pakistan’s religious figures and some of former spy officers have not only soft corner for Taliban but they also support resistance against President Karzai’s government. These resistance leaders enjoy a great deal of support and influence throughout Pakistan. For Salah-ud-Din Rabbani this is a litmus test trip for his peace efforts and to keep the name of his father flying high by returning gloriously from his first ever visit to Pakistan as the chief of peace mission. For him one of doing so could be by taking back with him Mullah Biradar. In fact, negotiations for this purpose between the high ranking Pakistan and Afghan authorities are in progress. The two sides are likely to ink a treaty in this respect very soon.
Earlier, in 2010, some in the Pakistani security circles were trying to link up extradition of Mullah Biradar with some of the Baloch nationalists sheltering in Afghanistan. But now majority of these Baloch nationalists has already flown to Western and European countries. However, improvement has been registered between Islamabad and Kabul, whereas both sides now favor an end to violence and terrorism in the region. How the Taliban will react to this dialogue process is anybody’s guess but on the government side one thing is clear: no one wants to see resistance against the Afghanistan government. A few groups and factions, developed and controlled by certain elements like Dad Ullah group, Tora Bora group, Kapisa group, Haji Lala group, also known as Peshawar group, and several others are engaged in guerrilla attacks on the government and security personnel. Similar is the strategy of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, headed by Engineer Gulbadin Hekmatyar.
It is crystal clear that Afghans, irrespective of their political, ethnic and ideological divisions, are unanimously in favor of an end to conflicts and hostilities in their motherland. Such emerging unity amongst the Afghans is also in Pakistan’s interests. Like Afghanistan, Pakistan has also badly suffered in the last three decades. Maybe it is time the peace loving Pakistanis cemented this reconciliation process in Afghanistan.
