THE commencement of long awaited intra-Afghan negotiations is indeed a historic moment which has once again raised the prospects of peace and stability in the war-torn country. A permanent ceasefire is expected to be at the top of the agenda as well as a political settlement to end the years-long conflict in the country.
Reaching this stage has not been an easy task as the stalemate over the release of prisoners held back the intra-Afghan dialogue for several months. Then the recent surge in violence in Afghanistan again had risked derailment of the long sought talks. Countries such as the United States, Pakistan and Qatar really deserve appreciation for bringing the two parties on the table of negotiations. The road ahead will not be obstacle free at all. Therefore, it is important that influential countries, especially the United States, continue to use their influence for the successful outcome of the talks. It will be a good beginning if both the sides firstly agree to a permanent ceasefire as it will help generate the required level of trust between them. Then both the sides will have to demonstrate greater flexibility especially on the power sharing formula. The Taliban have proved to be important stakeholders in Afghanistan and they must be given their due share in the incumbent setup. Abdullah Ghani government will have to accept this reality sooner rather than later. As also stated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his statement, it is now for the Afghan leaders to seize this historic opportunity work together constructively and secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. The Afghan people have suffered a lot because of this decades old conflict. They need a healing touch and this can only be provided by making the Intra-Afghan dialogue successful. There are certain elements supported by India which do not want return of peace to the country for their own vested interests. They will try to disrupt the talks by resorting to violent acts in Afghanistan. Their sordid designs can only be foiled by staying engaged and reaching a settlement at the earliest which in fact will open the doors of peace, progress and prosperity for the Afghan people.
