The deadlock of the Afghan peace process and the way forward

Since the past several years, efforts are being made to end the war in the country. However, none of these efforts have produced any result, and the current war continues to cost Afghan lives and has affected all aspects of life in Afghanistan.

In the past, as an active organ in areas of peace, CSRS has held many national and international conferences and seminars for the success of the peace process and has put a particular focus on this issue in its researches, publications, etc.

Currently, the peace process is faced with a stalemate and there is a serious need to come out of this situation. Given this need, CSRS first conducted a survey from the Afghan elites and then convened a peace conference, where the active individuals in areas of peace discussed the current situation in the country and possible solutions. 

Seven speakers were invited in this conference, one of which was the representative of the active government organ for peace, but he did not participate in this meeting. The six people who participated and addressed the conference are as follows:

1. The General Director of CSRS Dr. Abdul Baqi Amin;
2. The representative of Hizb-e-Islami in the party’s peace talks with the government, Engineer Mohammad Amin Karim;
3. The peace activist and politician Mula Abdul Salam Zaif;
4. Head of the Commission to Oversee the Implementation of the National Unity Government Agreement Mohammad Nateqi
5. The peace activist and politician Mohammad Zaman Muzammil;
6. Head of the Council of Peace and the Salvation of Afghanistan Professor Gul Rahman Qazi

The Survey:

CSRS has conducted a survey in the past three months (from 23 August to 26 November 2017) in the six major cities of the country (Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh, Kunduz provinces) and has assessed the peoples’ view about the peace process. In this survey, the opinions of some active organizations, peace activists, university lecturers and other intellectuals and elites are gathered through 1855 questionnaires. The main findings of this survey were shared with the media in this conference; CSRS will later publish the complete results of the survey.

Some findings of the survey:

• 82% of the participants in this survey have said that the current war did not have a winner and the only way to end it was through peace.
• 41% of the interviewees have stated that lack of the government’s sincere willingness was the main reason behind the failure of the peace process.
• 06% of the respondents believed that proxy wars were fought in the country and that, currently, the Afghans did not have the real authority in the peace process.
• 55% of the interviewees thought that Pakistan could not bring the Taliban to the negotiation table but could play a positive role in this regard.
• 39% of the respondents believed that the Afghan High Peace Council could not play the role of a sincere mediator in the peace process.
• 88% of the interviewees believed that in order for the peace process to succeed, there was a need for an Afghan third-party impartial mediator.
• The majority of the interviewees (90.26%) have supported the intra-Afghan reconciliation for the success of the peace process.
  

Recommendation to the engaged parties: 

In light of its researches and other activities in areas of peace, CSRS makes the following recommendations in order for the peace process to succeed:

• The war is not a solution and the wars in the past have proved that it could only be terminated through negotiations. Therefore, we call on all parties of the war to embrace peace through any means possible and stop the further bloodshed in the country.
• Since both the main parties and the victims of the war are Afghans, we call on the government to focus on intra-Afghan talks in its peace process and stop its emphasis on Pakistan’s role.
• Although the current war is fought as a “war against foreigners”, the majority of the victims of this war are Afghans. Hence, we demand from the Taliban to realize the responsibility of ending the war and think about putting an end to the war rather than further waging it.
• In order for the success of the intra-Afghan talks, we insist on creating such a third party that is acceptable for all parties of the war so that the existing mistrust and distance between the parties of the war could be reduced.
• Peace is a national issue; therefore, peace initiatives must also be at the hands of Afghans. Hence, although the existence of several structures in areas of peace in the country is beneficial, these structures must be coordinated.

The end