While President Hamid Karzai and his challenger Abdullah Abdullah will try to improve their fortunes in November 7 presidential revote, the Taleban are in the wings as well. Regrettably, the militia will be around not as a contender but as a spoiler — further exacerbating the prospects of attaining peace and stability.

The Taleban’s threat to disrupt the vote should not be underestimated. Now is the time to talk it out with them. Reaching a consensus on Afghan polity of governance is more important than taking the pain of conducting a meaningless election. The Taleban for long have been part of the problem, and need to be made part of the solution. The militia has time and again expressed its willingness to enter into a dialogue of sorts, and also become part and parcel of political dispensation. But it has set a criterion of its own to do so.

The presence of foreign forces on its soil has acted as a predicament in furthering a political outcome with the militia, which is now conveniently calling the shots from the south and the northeast of the country. Their resurgence comes as a biggest challenge not only for the unpopular government in Kabul, but also the 
coalition forces. 

Peace in the war-tormented country can only come through a negotiated settlement. Commanders in the Pentagon and Brussels now admit it as fait accompli. With US President Barack Obama in a fix, while responding to demands for committing more troops to the region, winning the war on the battlefront seems impossible. Washington should look for a political way out of the mess. The path for defeating Al Qaeda, and the like, can be charted in a different format as well. The Pakhtoon militia, which has a political voice and a formidable presence, can be a means to such an end.

There is no point in repeating a process that will bring in more mayhem and instability. Taleban fighters had killed dozens of civilians and targeted sensitive installations during the first round of the presidential vote. They have warned to do so once again, which necessitates a deep thinking process to win over an enemy that is not only all around, but also gaining ground and credence. The trigger-happy approach, in practice for the last eight years, has not helped. Not only is time running out, but options as well. Washington’s endeavour to democratise Afghanistan should be bias free. Bringing Taleban on board can certainly make a difference.