The ‘on again-off again peace process between Kabul and Afghan Taliban may resume soon owing to behind-the-scene efforts by Pakistan and other stakeholders.
A high-ranking Pakistani official familiar with the ‘back-channel efforts’ said on Sunday that some progress was expected in the coming days about the revival of peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives.
The official, who requested not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the revival of the fragile peace process would be one of the key agenda items during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to the US.
The US president had last week said he would urge the Pakistani premier to persuade the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. The official said this showed that even the US now had greater realisation that reconciliation was the only way forward in Afghanistan.
“We have kept saying this for a long time that eventually we will have to go back to reconciliation,” he said. Now, he claimed, there would be some ‘breakthrough’ soon. “We are optimistic that detractors will fail and the reconciliation process will resume soon,” the official said.
This optimism is quite contrary to the on-ground situation with relations between Islamabad and Kabul strained in recent months by growing mistrust between the two neighbours. Afghan officials have continuously held Pakistan responsible for the current unrest in their country.
However, Pakistani officials believe certain ‘anti-Pakistan elements’ are not only trying to undermine ties between Islamabad and Kabul but are also against the political settlement of the long-running Afghan conflict.
“Our position remains consistent that we will not get distracted by such malicious campaign and will continue our endeavours for facilitating the reconciliation process,” the official said.
