Perusing Afghan peace process

Pakistan, China and Afghanistan are holding first round of trilateral foreign ministers’ talks in Beijing to explore the ways and means for restoring peace and stability to Afghanistan. However some Afghan analysts and politicians are not optimistic about the outcome of Beijing trilateral talks. Ustad Latif Nazari, a Kabul based political analyst is of the opinion that the three countries should speak openly in the trilateral dialogue and Pakistan should accept that insecurity in Afghanistan is no more their choice.

The world powers like Russia, China and regional countries including Pakistan, Iran and the Central Asian States are keen to find out a negotiated solution of the Afghanistan problem. In December, 2016, Moscow hosted a trilateral jump-start conference which was attended by Russia, China and Pakistan. The parameters of reconciliation on Afghanistan were further expanded in February, 2017 when Afghanistan and India also attended the second meeting. It was further expanded to involve majority of regional powers being impacted by the war and instability in Afghanistan. A twelve party peace conference was conceived by Russia and the United States was invited to attend the International Peace Conference in Moscow in April, 2017 but this invitation was rejected outright. However, eleven countries including Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan attended the Moscow peace conference.

As the war in Afghanistan is affecting the internal security of Pakistan in a big way, therefore it is keener in the result oriented dialogue for the early resolution of Afghanistan issue. Addressing a seminar on Afghanistan at UN Security Council, Pakistan’s permanent representative Dr. Maleeha Lodhi said that dialogue is the only option for restoring peace and stability in this country. She said Afghanistan became the epicenter of global terrorism because of foreign military intervention. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi warned that terrorist outfits are getting united under the umbrella of Daesh in Afghanistan. This view is corroborated by Russia by saying that 10000 fighters of this terrorist organization are present inside Afghanistan. Daesh fighters fleeing from Iraq and Syria are reaching here. They are armed with the weapon of western countries and are being brought by unmarked helicopters. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed the United States for the induction of Daesh fighters into Afghanistan to counter the Afghan Taliban. Russia has particularly mentioned the militants from Algeria and France. Moscow is worried about the spill over of Daesh to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. It is no longer a secret that fighters of this international terrorist organization have established strongholds in Tora Bora along the Pak-Afghan border. But the government of Pakistan is yet to formulate a comprehensive Afghan Policy keeping in view President Trump’s South Asia policy and Afghanistan strategy. The bitterness in the tone and tenor of Republican administration towards Pakistan needs serious consideration.