As the Biden Administration went back on US President Donald Trump’s May deadline for the pullout of allied troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban called off talks. The Taliban spokesman said on Twitter that “until all foreign forces completely withdraw from our homeland, the Islamic Emirate will not participate in any conference that shall make decisions about Afghanistan”. The Taliban also expressed unwillingness to attend a scheduled conference co-sponsored by the United Nations and Qatar in Istanbul. Further, the Taliban threatened a long war. This led to US and allied pressure on Pakistan to persuade the Taliban to return to the negotiation table.
Over the last few weeks, Pakistani officials met both the Taliban and the Afghan government leaders, telling both sides that there was a need for ceasefire and a resumption of the parleys. The announcement of a three day ceasefire by the Taliban during the Eid festival was a widely appreciated gesture, responded yo by a corresponding move by the Afghan government. Meanwhile two major terrorist attacks in Kabul within a week have failed to derail the ongoing attempts to bring peace to Afghanistan.
On Friday, the second day of a three-day ceasefire, the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators held a meeting in Doha, which came as a happy surprise to many. What strengthens hopes is that peace is the need of not only the people of Afghanistan but also of the neighbouring countries like Pakistan, China, Iran and the Central Asian states, as well as the USA and Russia. An Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neigbours stands to gain much from the ongoing attempts to connect Central Asia with South Asia, particularly from CPEC. There are however contentious issues that can derail talks, like a new constitution desired by the Taliban, the mode of elections, women’s rights and a political roadmap to the government sharing power with the Taliban. As the intra-Afghan talks have continued for months without any discussion on a single core issue, this shows the seriousness of the differences. While one wishes the parleys Godspeed, one fears it might not take long before the latest move to resolve differences runs out of steam.
