Pak vows continuous support to Afghanistan peace process
Pak will welcome the true representative government of the people in Afghanistan, top military leadership tells lawmakers in a briefing about the evolving situation in the neighbouring country
Pakistan will continue to play its responsible role for lasting peace in Afghanistan, top military leadership briefed lawmakers on Thursday.
The briefing regarding the evolving situation in the neighbouring country was given during a closed-doors meeting of the Parliamentary Commitee on National Security in Islamabad.
The military high command told the parliamentarians that Pakistan will welcome the true representativegovernmentofafghanistan’speople.
The high-level meeting was atended by Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, while Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed gave the briefing to the participants.
“Due to Pakistan’s efforts, not only was the path paved for talks between different Afghan factions and warring groups, but meaningful dialogue between the United States and Taliban was also started,” according to a statement released by the information ministry.
“We believe in the fact that lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan will actually result in stability in South Asia,” the statement said.
The participants were told that Pakistan will welcome the true representative government of the people in Afghanistan “at every level” and continue its role for the Afghan peace process.
The fast-paced withdrawal of foreign troops, stalled peace talks and rising violence in Afghanistan can undermine Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the Taliban’s alleged return to Kabul through powersharing arrangements, said an international report from Washington.
The report — “Pakistan: Shoring Up Afghanistan’s Peace Process” — was compiled by the International Crisis Group, a think tank with offices in Washington and Brussels and regional offices across the globe.
“Should the Afghan peace process continue to sputer or altogether fail Islamabad’s relations with Kabul and Washington would sour,” the report warned.
“Furtherinstabilityortalibangainsinafghanistan could embolden Pakistani militants aligned with their Afghan counterparts, deepening insecurity in Pakistan.”
The report urged Islamabad to reach out to Kabul to reduce mistrust, adding that Pakistan should use the access and leverage provided by its links with the Taliban to press the insurgents to reduce violence and negotiate a compromise on power-sharing arrangements with other Afghan stakeholders.
It said that an unraveling Afghanistan could not only embolden Pakistani militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban but also cause yet another massive influx of Afghan refugees.
According to the report, Islamabad’s failure in persuading the Taliban to opt for a peacefully negotiated political setlement, would strain its ties with Washington and Kabul. That’s why Pakistan should redouble its efforts to convince the Taliban to scale back both their atacks and their aspirations to reinstate their version of Islamic governance.
The report claimed that Pakistan has supported the Afghan peace process because it sees an opportunity to push for its preferred option — the Taliban’s inclusion in power-sharing arrangements.
It explained that the Taliban’s continued reliance on violence to strengthen their bargaining position has also toughened Kabul’s position on this issue.
The report observed that the US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all US troops by Sept.11, even without a political setlement, has “tightened timelines for geting a peace process moving before the conflict intensifies.”
It noted that since intra-afghan negotiations started in Qatar on Sept.12, 2020, Pakistan’s military and civilian leaderships “have repeatedly emphasised that only a political setlement can end conflict in Afghanistan.”
The report also warned that Pakistan’s clout with the insurgents has declined as they continue to make military gains in Afghanistan.
But that “influence has far from dissipated, since the Taliban shura still operates out of Pakistani havens. Taliban commanders in Afghanistan may dispute but will still follow that leadership’s instructions,” the report claimed.
Its authors suggested that “it is in Pakistan’s interest to persuade, using pressure, if need be, the Taliban shura to break the logjam in the peace talks by reducing violence and moderating demands for Islamic governance.”