Delegates at a two-day track-II dialogue that concluded in Islamabad on Friday called upon the United States to engage the Taliban in talks, stressing that the dialogue will not impact the Afghan government’s peace process.
The participants at Approaching Peace Talks: Stakeholders, Challenges, and Prospects said that a peace deal [between the Afghan government and the Taliban] would involve offering some concessions. The purpose of the seminar, third in a series of track-II engagements organised by the Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC) and the Islamabad-based Regional Peace Institute (RPI), was to propose recommendations for timely implementation of the peace process.
In attendance were former and current members of parliament, diplomats, military officials, academics, and media professionals from both sides. The seminar was also attended by three prominent international scholars: Dr. Barnett R. Rubin, Mr. Felix Kühn and Dr. Antonio Giustozzi.
The seminar was focused on identifying opportunities and prospects, rather than identifying root causes of the conflict. The usual talk of blame-game was conspicuous by its absence during the two-day event coming after the successful ceasefire in Afghanistan during the Eid.
In formulating these recommendations, several participants noted that the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan had experienced a steady improvement with emphasis on intelligence-sharing during the last six months.
“The parties must have the courage to bargain in order to achieve progress,” a participant said, adding that Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to further strengthen intelligence-sharing and cooperation between services. Regular meetings between representatives of the task forces in National Directorate of Security and Inter-Services Intelligence could be held in this regard.
Speaking on the first day of the seminar, Afghan deputy ambassador Zardasht Shams said that the success of the ceasefire during Eid holidays showed that peace was not impossible. “Peace is very much possible and we can achieve it,” he said, adding that the Afghan government was open to negotiations with the Taliban and ready to discuss all issues. However, he said, there would be no compromise on religious affairs, democratic character of the government and the matter of women and human rights.
Shams expressed satisfaction at the recent engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and said that there seemed to be a realization on the part of both countries to continue bilateral dialogue for peace, reconciliation and reduction in violence.
Former National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua said Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to sit together to address each other’s concern. He was confident that Afghanistan, Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) had laid a strong foundation for bilateral engagement.
Speaking at a joint press conference on the sidelines of the seminar, RPI head Raoof Hasan and David Vestenskov of the Royal Danish Defence College said Pakistani and Afghan participants had avoided blaming each other and instead used the platform to fully support the current engagement between the two countries. They said there was a need to further strengthen the level of trust between the two neighbours.
Published in Daily Times, June 30th 2018.
