Current Political Situation in Afghanistan and Peace Process

Nazar Mohammad Mutmain – writer and analyst

Since Mr. Karzai has been changing his mind time to time and was taking variety of decisions during the last one decade, most Afghans are suspected about his latest positions and speeches. But if Mr. Karzai stand on that positions especially in not signing the Security pact with America and want America for playing a serious role in peace process he might attract people from inside and outside the country.

Defects in Peace process:

Center for Discussions & Solutions brought together a group of leaders of Pakistani religious parties and scholars from both Afghanistan and Pakistan in conference title “Peace and Reconciliation in Afghanistan”, in Pakistani capital Islamabad.

Fazlur Rahman of Jamiat Ulama, Mulana Samiulhaq of Jamiat Ulama (S), Said Monawar Hassan of Jamiat Islami, co chair of Tahreek Insaf, Mahmood Khan Asakzai of Pakhtonkhwa party, Afrasiab Khattak of Awami National party, governor of Pakhtonkhwa Eng. Shawkat khan, Ghairat Baheer the representative of Hezbe Islami, Eng. Ahmad Sha Ahmadzai the leader of the alliance of opposing foreign bases in Afghanistan, Mawlawi Janbaz Sarfaraz the representative of Hezbe Islami (Arghandiwal Kabul), Haji Dean mohammad and Shahzada shahid the members of High peace council, Abdul Sattar Murad from Jamiat Islami of Afghanistan, writer and analyst Mohmmad Zaman Muzamel, Sefatullah Qanith and some others were the speakers of this conference.

All were insisting on the need of commitment to peace, and offered their insights over the ways of peace building. One issue which was common in all the speeches delivered to this conference was that until the peace is not brought to Afghanistan, peace in Pakistan will not be possible. On the other hand Mohammad Asif Loqman the director of the organizer center said that the important party (Taliban) have not participated the conference.

Now, all the parties think that until the Taliban do not participate the peace negotiations directly this process will not be fruitful.

What the related parties aimed in?

If the Karzai was choosing the precondition of coming peace for signing the pact with foreigners in past few years, now he would had supporters in people and would show in practice that he is committed for peace, while according to analysts in past twelve years the only obstacle in peace was himself.

Now, when it is due that the election must be held in coming three months and he will not be the president anymore, the work he did not carried out in last twelve years, in three remaining months will also be not possible.

The fact is that America, president Karzai and other related parties are not yet committed to peace, America want play their game with Taliban under the name of peace, and it seems they are trying to engage Taliban with ineffective and resultless so called peace negotiation to show the militarily and politically defect of Taliban to the world.

President Karzai tries to take advantages from America, Taliban and Afghan people with this game, and put pressure on America to support the candidate who is his option, and make Taliban to support him against America or call the support of Afghans to stay more in power.

Mr. Karzai seems not committed for peace nor for the holding election, so he calls peace from Pakistan who cannot make it possible and convince Taliban to accept the preconditions of Afghan government for peace, but however there are some assumptions that Mr. Karzai is likely tended for peace.

Mr. Karzai has some preconditions, which are sent in a surreptitious message to Taliban, but Taliban may not give positive response to Karzai in the time he is weakened.

Karzai is under pressure from different parties like the pressure from president Obama and democrat party at all externally and from north alliance and Taliban internally. But Karzai still tries to manipulate all the power in his own hands. When Hizbe Islami (Arghandiwal) supported Abdullah Abdullah in coming election he simultaneously encouraged Qutbuddin Helal to nominate himself for presidential election, and thinks on separating Jumaa khan Hamdard, Qazi Mohammad Amin Weqad and Mohammad Akbar Barakzai from Hizbe Islami (Arghandiwal) to support his option in election.

 The Afghan government and America tried yet to separate Taliban into different parties with different names to shut the window of peace completely, but now it seems that is the era of ignoring the war and playing political game which needs more attention and precision.

What’s needed for peace?

Still there is chance of negotiation with America and also between Afghans, because according to speculations the negotiation over releasing of Guantanamo prisoners come to a likely conclusion and both the America and Taliban want the reopening of negotiation, but this time there are preconditions from Taliban’s side like the releasing of prisoners, postponing the election, ignoring military bases and announcing the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

On the other hand America cannot afford the war and endurance it’s causalities in Afghanistan anymore, they want to find a way to withdraw from Afghanistan with a likely good solution and end this war. And Taliban also had some remarks that they also not want the repeating of the past mistakes made by Mujahideen during the civil war in 90s, which shows that this negotiations are part of the war in which the parties (Taliban, Afghan government and America) trying for overcoming while accept the negotiations for peace.

Also Afghan people and scholars who want peace must not set down and watch what is going on, they must negotiate with all parties and find out a way for a real peace process, which is the existence of a third mediate party who can resumed the process without any fraud or mistrust.