A fresh possibility of peace in Afghanistan

Participants at the talks must realise that the dreams of an entire generation rest on their decisions

Afresh round of talks to end the Afghan war began yesterday, with hopes that peace will be achieved in the not-too-distant future. Senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States met in Kabul for a second round of talks aimed at charting a roadmap to bring peace in the 15-year war with the Taliban. The meeting did not include Taliban representatives and was part of a three-step process — to formulate a roadmap, then invite the opposition to the negotiating table and finally implement the peace plan. It could be months before the Taliban enters into direct talks with Kabul, but the groundwork has begun.

Chalking out a peace plan before inviting the Taliban to the table is itself not the easiest of tasks. Almost all families in Afghanistan have been affected by terrorism in some form or the other, and there are no signs that this is abating. Militants have stepped up their war against Kabul in an attempt to boost legitimacy so that the Taliban can enter the peace talks from a position of strength. In this scenario, the sooner the roadmap is ready, better the chances of sitting down for face-toface discussions. The talks are also an effort to build trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan. A series of attacks in Afghanistan have been blamed on Pakistan-sponsored insurgent groups, which the neighbour has denied. Bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were stormy under former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and both sides have accused each other of harbouring militants.

These talks now offer a real chance for peace and the participants must realise that the hopes and dreams of an entire generation depend on the decisions they make.