Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan
The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, US and China which met in Kabul on Monday, 18 January to draw up a roadmap for bringing the Taliban and Afghan government on the negotiating table, again emphasised the need for an end to senseless violence against the people of Afghanistan. The group in its earlier meeting in Islamabad on 11th January focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation, anticipated obstacles and measures that could help in creating a congenial atmosphere for peace talks. Pakistan rightly maintained that for bringing Taliban to the negotiating table and restarting the process of reconciliation, it was imperative to offer some incentives to them, not to impose pre-conditions and avoiding threats of military action.
The representative of the Afghan government urged the Taliban groups to accept the government offer for talks and come to the negotiating table to resolve the differences politically. It is really hard to take an issue with the aims and objectives outlined in the quadrilateral meeting in regards to bringing peace to Afghanistan. But with the Taliban now controlling nearly two-thirds of Afghanistan and so far no statement coming from them to support the talks or the desire to return to the negotiation table and the differences within the Taliban movement in regards to talks with the Afghan government, it is going to be an excruciating undertaking to re-start the dialogue. The intensification of attacks on government and foreign targets by Taliban during the current winter and the successes achieved by them, according to diplomatic circles, indicate a deliberate push by the militants to seize more territory and be in a stronger negotiating position.
The drawing of a realistic and flexible roadmap for bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table that broadly defines steps and phases for pursuing the defined objectives is of paramount importance. Pakistan rightly maintained that the reconciliation in Afghanistan was not possible through military actions and the only way to achieve it was through dialogue, making sure that the process was Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Pakistan, Afghanistan and China as facilitators have very high stakes in peace in Afghanistan. Afghanistan needs a break from the decades old conflict. Pakistan needs peace in Afghanistan to quell terrorism within its boundaries, for ensuring success of operation Zarb-e-Azb and realising its objective of regional linkages for shard economic prosperity, while China needs peace in Afghanistan and the region to pursue its strategic and economic goals. The geo-strategic location of the three countries also dictates the imperative of the three countries to make joint efforts in transforming the region into a hub of peace and economic activity to facilitate the unleashing of the potential that awaits to be harnessed for shared economic prosperity.
The revival of the initiative to relaunch the quest for peace in Afghanistan owes to a great extent to the renewed interaction between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the recent visit of the COAS to Afghanistan and his meetings with Afghan leadership for strengthening security and counter-terrorism cooperation through intelligence sharing and facilitating the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. There are no two opinions about the fact that the ambience of trust and cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a vital ingredient for nudging the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan and Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation in Afghanistan has always remained a top priority of the present civilian and military leadership in Pakistan who are very much conscious of the fact that peace in Afghanistan was an indispensable variable in the fight against terrorism. Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan.
Though the task of re-engaging the Taliban in the process of parleys is difficult due to the prevailing circumstances but Pakistan is hopeful that it would ultimately be successful in influencing the Taliban to hold talks with the Afghan government. The encouraging factor in this entire exercise is that the four-country group recognises and acknowledges Pakistan’s support to the process of dialogue as a vital ingredient for bringing peace to Afghanistan, more so the Afghan government. The resolve of the Pakistan government to facilitate and promote the Afghan-led and Afghan owned reconciliation in Afghanistan is beyond any reproach. The unflinching support from the other members of the QCG would certainly help in strengthening the quest for peace in Afghanistan.
It is hoped that the re-established bonhomie between the two countries would not only help in ending the bitterness of the past but would also pave the way for renewed collective efforts to fight the common challenges. Both sides need to work together and within the framework of QCG with sincerity of purpose for promoting peace and making a new beginning. An immediate re-evaluation of the current relationship is essential in order to move forward. It must be understood that as the US troops gear up to withdraw, Afghanistan would need Pakistan more than ever. President Ghani is struggling to maintain his unity government intact and the withdrawal of US and NATO troops might precipitate his woes as the Afghan army was still not in a position to maintain security. The battles in Kunduz and Badakhshan and the latest clashes in Helmand, are indeed very dangerous portents, which have exposed the vulnerabilities of the new political dispensation in Afghanistan.
Increased attacks by Taliban on government installations, their offensive to capture Afghan cities as well as the presence of IS in Afghanistan in the shape of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are real threats to the Afghan government. There is a strong likelihood that Afghanistan might drift towards an unending conflict and struggle for ascendency among different power players after the departure of US-NATO troops. To prevent this horrible scenario from re-emerging, Ghani’s government has no alternative but to join hands with Pakistan in forestalling the impending disaster.
Similarly, Pakistan also is in desperate need of Afghan cooperation in taking the war on terror to its logical conclusion, implementing its economic initiatives including CPEC and achieving its strategic objectives in the region. China and US are equally concerned about the continued conflict in Afghanistan and the scourge of terrorism. The end of conflict in Afghanistan would also safeguard their strategic interests in the region and beyond. Pakistan and Afghanistan cannot change the geographical and historical realities. Their destinies are interwoven with each other. The inevitability of them working together for peace is an undeniable proposition. Taliban also need to realise that Afghanistan and its people desperately need peace in the country and it was incumbent upon them to participate in the process of reconciliation in their own as well as the interest of the country.
