approach here and has helped to significantly change the dynamic in terms of the environment that would produce this over the course of just the last six or seven months in a way that wasn’t possible, seemingly, before then.”
Feldman said regional partners including China, and the Gulf countries have also espoused support for a reconciliation process in Afghanistan. He said, the U.S. remains in touch with India as well. “I think that there’s a common and broad desire to see some sort of political discussions and negotiated settlement occur if that is feasible. And so there’s certainly skepticism on some parts that it is feasible, but I think there is a fairly consistent desire to at least see if it’s possible.” he replied, when asked specifically if India supports the Afghan reconciliation.
The U.S. envoy also applauded Islamabad’s ongoing military drive to clear tribal areas of militants.
In the changed regional climate, Dan particularly referred to the narrative and national response to December 16, 2014 terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar, with a “description of the Peshawar massacres as Pakistan’s 9/11.”
“I think the manner in which it galvanized a national consensus against all forms of extremism has also fed into the commitment to try to address these forms of extremism and try to use their leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to Afghanistan’s long-term conflict.”
“So we’ll have to see what occurs, but in my conversations with civilian and military and intelligence leadership in Pakistan, I think that there is an opportunity here that hasn’t been here in the past. And hopefully we can all “ hopefully the appropriate parties can capitalize on it. Because we’ve long said that the conflict in Afghanistan won’t be ended only through military means, but has to be done through some sort of negotiated political settlement,” he said.