THE path of peace in Afghanistan continues to test the patience of all those involved in the task of bringing security to the war-torn country. While there is a genuine effort in this direction, there are far too many pieces to put in place. Talks have continued in Moscow this week, as a parallel to Doha, where the US emissary Zalmay Khalilzad has the delicate job of reconciling divergent views. The 14-member Afghan Taliban delegation in Moscow has reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of international forces as a prerequisite for “peace to be agreed”. It is a complex picture. Even with the US now eager to end its longest war and exit the country, there are fears that the objective might not be achieved in a manner that results in stability across Afghanistan. The Taliban’s aversion to talks with the Ashraf Ghani government has also created hurdles, with unconfirmed reports that Taliban leaders refused to have separate meetings with Kabul’s representatives, though the head of the High Peace Council, Mohammad Karim Khalili, reportedly participated in the talks and duly drew attention to the urgent need to end the violence in Afghanistan. The Moscow meeting is the second one to be held in the Russian capital since February.

Unfortunately, the incessant violence — including a string of attacks on security targets in Afghanistan on the eve of the Moscow talks — have cast a long shadow over the peace effort. International peace-brokers must not allow efforts to flag, and all avenues — whether it is the Khalilzad initiative, or the Moscow dialogue channel, or indeed, Pakistan’s persuasion, must be pursued, especially when other violent groups, such as the IS, are making their presence felt in Afghanistan. The role of big powers such as Russia and China is also crucial to encouraging more comprehensive deliberations and bringing all nuances of the Afghan question into sharp focus. A major issue is the general discomfort at the idea of a Taliban government at the centre enjoying unbridled powers, especially given past experience. Reconciling warring Afghan sides would mean removing mistrust by giving guarantees.

But who can give whom what guarantees regarding Afghanistan is contentious in itself. President Ashraf Ghani’s government is not the only one in the run for the ‘the most faction-ridden’ title. The Taliban can appear to be just as divided and the actions of various groups among them can be extremely difficult to predict. This is why so much importance is being given to the inclusion in the talks of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Released from a Pakistani jail last year, Mullah Baradar had helped Mullah Omar build up the Taliban. Given this backdrop, the veteran is in a better position than most to promise what is a big prerequisite for peace in Afghanistan: good conduct by various factions within the Taliban.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2019