There is a new twist in the ongoing communication between Pakistan and Afghanistan that could be regarded as a major one. Kabul has accused certain groups in Pakistan’s military and intelligence of actively working against peace talks.
‘Elements’ In Pakistan’s Forces Accused Of Derailing Pakistan Afghanistan Talks, Says Kabul
The talks, which took place in Istanbul and were facilitated by Qatar and Turkey, aimed to discuss the long standing border disagreements and the issue of hiding places for the militants. Nevertheless, the Afghanistan government, led by the Taliban, has accused these ‘elements within Pakistan’s military and intelligence services’ of wanting to point the finger at the Afghan side for Pakistan’s domestic violence and the activities of the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Taliban has claimed through their representative Zabihullah Mujahid that they are not in any way related to the TTP, which has existed since 2002, and that this relationship does not pertain to the current Afghan administration. Afghanistan has also said that it won’t let its territory be used by any outside party for conducting operations against Pakistan or for any activity that violates its sovereignty. Meanwhile, Pakistan is alleging that the TTP is being sheltered by the Taliban ruled Kabul, a charge that Kabul denies. This has led to a situation of mistrust and has been one of the reasons for the failure of the most recent round of talks.
More On Pakistan Afghanistan Talks
As the conversation disintegrated without any substantial results, the chances of a long term cease fire and joint border management turned out to be rather dark. The claims voiced by Kabul that the military of Pakistan considers a robust, stable Afghanistan to be against their interests point to the presence of larger strategic mistrust on which talk success and failure are only two sides. So regional peace processes seem to be very hard to implement if during the process the internal factions are still oppositely engaged. The way to lasting peace is bumpy unless there is a united Pakistani delegation and clear Afghan cooperation.
