- ‘All the right people’
There is, most certainly, visible progress in the ongoing Afghan peace talks. And with the presence of Mullah Baradar on the Taliban side and senior military personnel figuring in the US team – both for the first time – there is every reason to believe that peace might finally be just round the corner. That, precisely, is why US officials told news wires that ‘We have all the right people in the room on both sides’, while the Taliban spokesman believed “If we do not reach a solution in this round of talks, then we will in the next round of talks.”
The pressing issues, regarding the US withdrawal and guarantees that Afghanistan will never be used for attacks on other countries especially America, have apparently been ironed out to both parties’ satisfaction. This should bring some relief to President Trump, especially, as he wriggles desperately for good news in his otherwise problematic presidency. The next few outings, hopefully, will work on the timeline of the withdrawal and the nature of the Taliban commitment.
There is still one problem though. The Taliban still refuse to recognise or talk to the official Afghan government. And, of course, they do not accept the constitution in its present form. Now, while the latter can still be worked upon by drafting a new constitution acceptable to all Afghans, what is the whole working group – Taliban, Americans, even Pakistanis – going to do about President Ghanis’s government in Kabul? Surely they cannot expect to make peace with the insurgents, promise them a share in government, and simply impose the decision on Kabul. Already Ghani has been very upset and said so loudly at every available forum. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, however, has hinted at accommodative steps that might just make the Taliban a little more flexible in their stance. They also know, at the end of the day, that at some point they will have to shake hands with Kabul, no matter how much they despise the government, otherwise everything done to push the talks to where they have come will be lost. Now that all the right men have assembled, hopefully they will make all the right decisions.
