Iqbal Khan
Now there is abundant clarity that occupation forces are to stay in Afghanistan beyond May 2021. Apparently Biden Administration is all set to paddle US-Taliban Peace Deal of 29 February 2020. On January 28, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the Afghan peace deal in a telephone call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Blinken talked about the US commitment to an enduring US-Afghan partnership. He “shared that the United States is reviewing the February 2020 US-Taliban agreement and whether the Taliban are living up to their commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders”, said spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.
Blinken urged Afghan leaders to support the “historic opportunity” for peace in the region. “The Secretary committed to consultations with the Government of Afghanistan, NATO allies, and international partners regarding a collective strategy to support a stable, sovereign, democratic, and secure future for Afghanistan,” said the statement.
The government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose bread and butter lies in perpetuation of turmoil in Afghanistan, was quick to welcome the announcement of a review by the Biden administration, while accusing the Taliban for not living up to the agreement.
Most of the Pentagon officials think that the remaining US contingent may be too small to wage counterterrorism and train local forces while simultaneously ensuring enough security for American soldiers, while, sending more troops could be “politically perilous.”
By keeping Zalmay Khalilzad as special representative, Biden Administation is, apparently, trying to hold on to at least a modified version of the US-Taliban deal of February 29, 2020.
On January15, the US Department of Defence had stated that contingent in Afghanistan was reduced to 2,500 troops, as per outgoing President Trump’s order. Troops are still scheduled to come home completely in May, but that could change. The Pentagon is still working with a May deadline for a full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, but a Defence Department spokesman told reporters on January 28 that “the way ahead is unclear”.
Pakistan has appreciated the progress made in the peace process during the last one year, particularly the developments, including signing of the US-Taliban agreement, start of the intra-Afghan negotiations and agreement on the rules and procedures. Pakistan believes that violence in Afghanistan might increase if the pace of US troop withdrawal slows down.
While commenting on the new US government’s decision to review the US-Taliban agreement, Pakistan’s foreign office stated that the Afghan peace process had advanced into an important phase that needed “commitment and responsibility” by all sides. Foreign office statement suggests that Islamabad is not favouring the review of the peace deal by the new US administration. Asked to comment on the Pakistan’s reaction to the possible review, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri told reporters that Pakistan had consistently maintained that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict. “An Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement is the best way forward for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he added. “Towards this end, Pakistan has been constructively engaged with all Afghan sides as well as the international stakeholders for facilitating the Afghan peace process. The international community has duly recognised Pakistan’s efforts in this regard,” the spokesperson said.
The carefully-worded remarks suggested that Pakistan wants the Biden administration to stick to the ongoing peace efforts. Pakistani officials believe that any major review may further complicate the process, which is already struggling to reach the final solution.
The development from the US side to review the agreement came at a time when intra-Afghan dialogue is under way in Doha where the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government have been trying to finalise the agenda. The talks have so far made slow progress due to differences, on fundamentals, between the two sides. What added to the already complicated process is the continued violence in Afghanistan.
According to Meghan Myers, Afghan government envoys have accused Taliban of snubbing ongoing intra-Afghan talks. An Afghan government source close to the talks told AFP: “It seems they want to buy time and put further pressure on us. “They want not to engage in meaningful talks for a future political settlement so the May deadline comes and they believe the US will withdraw, and they can take over entirely, which is a false hope.”
However, according to Taliban spokesperson “Reports that intra-Afghan talks have been delayed indefinitely are false”. The two sides have been meeting in the Qatari capital Doha since September, but the negotiations have already been interrupted by several long pauses. “Peace and ending the violence are our people and government’s top priority,” tweeted Afghan government negotiator Nader Nadery. “To achieve this noble goal, the (government) peace negotiation team is committed and present in Doha; “the other side is not willing to engage in talks to end the conflict and save lives”.
The Taliban rejected the suggestion that they were putting off direct, formal engagement with the government side. “Reports that the intra-Afghan talks have been delayed indefinitely are false, and the two teams are in touch with each other,” said the spokesman for the Taliban’s Doha office, Mohammad Naeem. “No negotiations can be continuous and happening on a daily basis, since there may also be need for internal meetings.”
The talks have however been marred from the start by an increase in violence, and the country has seen a recent spate of high-profile targeted killings of officials, activists and journalists.
The Wall Street Journal reported on January 27 that the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of Trump’s decision to scale down troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the revision might go both upward and downward, depending on Austin’s assessment of the United States’ conflict strategy in the two countries. “It stands to reason that the incoming administration will want to better understand the status of operations in both places and the resources being applied to those missions. Nothing has changed about our desire to defend the American people from the threat of terrorism, while also making sure we are appropriately resourcing our strategy,” Kirby said. He added that any decision on troop levels will be made in consultation with the governments of Afghanistan ad Iraq.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is looking for a reasonable settlement that would end American presence in Afghanistan, Kirby added, but conditions will have to be met.
“Thus far the Taliban has been, to put it politely, reticent to meet their requirements,” he said. Throughout 2020, the Pentagon kept repeating that a withdrawal would be conditional, depending on a reduction in Taliban violence in the country and the group’s cutting ties with al-Qaida. “Though troop level is now much lower reports suggest that the Taliban have not met their side of milestones. Taliban on the other hand accuse the US of violating its portion of the agreement”, Kirby added.
Pakistan has sincerely been playing the role of a facilitator to make the negotiations between various Afghan factions and the government to find a durable solution to the crisis. No country other than Afghanistan has suffered as much as Pakistan did due to ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan. Let’s hope Afghanistan does not miss its rare opportunity for peace.
Writer is a freelance c-ontributor; e-mail: Iqb-al.khan9999@ yahoo.com.
