Murree peace initiative and future course

The Afghan government officials finally met their lethal foes, the Taliban, on July 7 and 8 at the Murree hill resort, which not surprisingly was dubbed as Pakistan’s Camp David by some observers. Later, Kabul welcomed the meeting, officially dubbed as the Murree Peace Process, which jump-started the stalled peace talks. Representatives from Pakistan, China and the United States also attended the breakthrough meeting. It has been reported that influential figures from the Taliban side including Mullah Muhammad Abbas Akhund, Mullah Abdul Latif Mansur, Mullah Abdul Jaleel besides some Haqqani commanders attended the talks. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalil Hekmat Karzai, upon returning to Kabul, told the media: “The individuals we met in Pakistan were speaking to Akhtar Mansoor (Taliban’s acting boss) and their Central Shura (gathering).”
The White House spokesman Josh Earnest welcomed the talks and claimed that the talks were an important step towards advancing prospects for credible peace. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also backed the peace process and claimed that Beijing was in touch with all the sides. The UN Security Council and Nato also welcomed the talks.
It was reported that the Afghan government had expressed its willingness to negotiate with the Taliban on all issues including the release of prisonersand future of dwindling American military presence in Afghanistan.
The unexpected meeting has greatly rekindled the hopes that lasting peace will ultimately return to Afghanistan.However, there are fears that the talks could be hurt by those who do not want peace in Afghanistan. Sartaj Aziz brusquely admitted in a newspaper interview: “Yes, there will be a few individuals who could attempt to undermine the peace process.” But he added: “Everybody trusts that threats will stop with the continuation of the procedure.” While it is only natural to feel uneasy about the challenges to the talks, the key word according to Aziz is “continuation of the procedure”.
The Pakistan Army has also cautioned that certain elements, most of them wrapping themselves in cloak of rhetoric, feel peace in Afghanistan could undermine their vested interests and they might try to sabotage the peace process. “There are many detractors of the Afghan peace process. Peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest and the Afghan government has the same interest. So, those people should be identified who believe this peace process doesn’t serve their interests,” Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, stated in an interview.
How did the Foreign Office see the talks, termed as a forerunner of peace in a country ravaged by decades of war? Sartaj Aziz told a newspaper that the peace talks were “extremely gainful. It was first run through Afghan government authorities and the Taliban sat over the table. The discussions were open. It is a decent starting and we will perceive how it continues.” He called it a leap forward, a development most Afghan watchers agree to.
Definitely, it was the efforts by Pakistan that facilitated the landmark peace talks between the Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives.Understandably, the Pakistan government besides the army officials firmly believes there should be peace in Afghanistan and support the process which should be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. They also say the Afghan government should have total control over the process.
While according to some there are limitations to the Murree peace process, or it is a hazardous venture, it is imperative that it should continue and be supported across the board. The fact that Pakistan is helping Afghanistan to bring peace and stability in the country should be appreciated and supported; the sincere efforts by Islamabad cannot be termed as a cynical exercise in political opportunism. Elements in Afghanistan scathing about the talks and claiming that Pakistan is in an undeclared war with their country are doing a disservice to their country. Nevertheless, the road to peace is long and arduous but no party in Afghanistan can ill afford to run the risk of continuous violence in the country. — Waqar Ahmed