Observer Report
Islamabad
Pakistan has time officially taken credit for facilitating not just February 29 deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad also takes credit for talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, as the intra-Afghan talks are set to resume next month in Doha after a 20-day break.
Islamabad played a key role in the Afghan peace efforts but this is the first time that the Foreign Office in a statement explicitly mentioned how Pakistan facilitated the US-Taliban deal as well as commencement of the intra-Afghan talks.
The statement has been issued by the FO against the backdrop of some negative statements emanating from both official and private Afghan circles questioning Pakistan’s role.
“As the Afghan peace process is making encouraging progress towards a political solution to the conflict, Pakistan would like to reiterate its firm commitment for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” an official handout issued by the FO read.
“While Pakistan’s efforts are acknowledged and appreciated by the Afghan society and the international community, we are concerned about some negative comments which continue to emanate from certain official as well as unofficial Afghan circles,” it added.
The statement noted that Pakistan would continue to emphasise the mutually agreed fundamental principle that all bilateral issues, including security and intelligence matters, should be addressed through relevant bilateral forums and channels. In addition, during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Kabul in November 2020, the two sides also agreed on further strengthening their contacts on matters related to security and peace process.
“We wish to highlight that the public blame game is detrimental to the Afghan peace process as well as to our shared efforts for enhancing bilateral cooperation.” The FO said Pakistan continued to emphasise that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and solution through a political process was the only way forward.
“Towards this end, Pakistan has been engaged in serious efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process. During the current year, our long-held position was vindicated and Pakistan’s serious efforts facilitated important breakthroughs in the peace process, including: (a) US-Taliban Peace Agreement of 29 February; (b) commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations on 12 September; and (c) agreement among Afghan parties on the Rules and Procedures on 2 December 2020,” the statement said.
It is believed that breakthrough in Afghan peace process would not have been possible had Pakistan not played a role.
The FO observed that as the intra-Afghan talks entered a crucial phase on January 5, it was important for all sides to avoid the blame game.
