Afghan peace overtures

For the first time, the Haqqani dispensation, which is feared the most by Washington and is dubbed as the operational eyes and ears of Al Qaeda by virtue of their liaison with mercenaries in Afghanistan and beyond, has said that along with the Taleban it has no reservations to initiate a dialogue process. Earlier, the modus operandi had been the other way round with the Taleban taking part in behind- the-curtain deliberations and the West castigating the Haqqani for all the ills. This new stance that inadvertently will buoy all the moderate elements in the Taleban to step in for an amicable resolution of odds in Afghanistan will carry the added weight of the Haqqanis, who to this day had believed and practised an approach that is solely militaristic. It is from here that all the stakeholders in the war-weary country should pick the threads and choreograph a strategy that pulls Afghanistan out of the mess. This route as spelt out by Sirajuddin Haqqani is worth emulating, as he has gone over-the-board to make it clear that his group would support whatever solution the Shura members suggest for the future of Afghanistan, referring to the Afghan Taleban leadership.

Whatever may be the compulsions or factors behind the Haqqani’s taking a backseat in warfare affairs while hinting for a dialogue, the ball is now squarely in the court of Kabul and Islamabad to create an environment conducive enough for the initiative to succeed. Pakistan’s Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, at a huddle of NATO commanders in Spain, had said that Afghanistan is not ready for a total pullout of foreign forces, as its local security apparatus is still fragile enough. This means until and unless the West and, especially, the United States reached out to the host of militant operators in Afghanistan, the country will be far away from attaining peace and prosperity.

The coincidence of thoughts from Haqqani and Kiyani could best be put to test by undertaking a sincere and serious episode of dialogue. This is the time for a summit meeting in Kabul, wherein political stakeholders from Washington, Brussels, Islamabad and Moscow huddle up with a package of peace overtures. The earliest the Haqqani gesture is reciprocated, the better!