Phased success

The talks between senior Afghan politicians and a Taliban delegation being held in Moscow marked success in itself. The Taliban have been refusing to engage in dialogue with the government led by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, holding that it is a puppet setup. While the Ghani-led government is still not included, senior Afghan politicians, some of whom will be contesting Afghanistan’s forthcoming election, have remained involved in the talks. The Taliban say that no peace effort in Afghanistan can succeed until foreign actors withdraw troops from the country. They have been negotiating for months with US diplomats on the process for the phased withdrawal of US and Nato forces from Afghanistan. While some agreements have been reached at Moscow, the Taliban accept that more rounds of dialogue are needed. Moscow is attempting to broker this process in the hope of restoring peace to the region.

Although few would wish to see a return of the Taliban to a country that they terrorised for years, targeting women and minorities in particular, most agree that an exit by US-led forces from Afghanistan is central to any chance of bringing back peace. There has been conflict in Afghanistan since the time the US moved in, with Taliban forces locked in war with US-backed governments in Kabul. Hundreds have died as a result of this struggle, including those killed in US orchestrated attacks. The war has spilled over into Pakistan and Islamabad remains a central player in persuading the Taliban to come to the table. This in itself does not please the Ghani-led government.

The efforts by Moscow to bring about a gathering around the same table are welcome. We have already seen after nearly two decades of war that only dialogue can restore calm to a region torn apart by constant violence. Pakistan has suffered alongside Afghanistan. The two countries therefore need to work together, alongside other stakeholders, to find a formula that will bring about peace in Afghanistan. The election in Afghanistan and the takeover by a new government in Kabul will be an important time. We hope the new setup can succeed in entering into discussion with the Taliban and weaving together the elusive settlement that is still slipping away from the hands of leaders even after they have been locked in a process of dialogue for many months.