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Lure Taleban into a peace process

Kabul should revisit its resolve to share power with the Taleban, and the like, and come up with a formidable political roadmap to achieve that goal in all sincerity.

Kabul was once again the theatre of activity as Taleban stormed the Parliament House. This daredevil act simply confirmed that the dreaded militia is round the corner, and no considerable effort has been made to make peace with them. The attack came as legislators were in session to confirm the appointment of a new defence minister as the coalition presidency of Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah-Abdullah finds itself in a fix, as to how to navigate its way out of crisis. It was a déjà vu for many and reminded of a similar attack in 2001 on the Indian parliament.

The Taleban have time and again attacked government installations in the capital, and in the last few months have launched themselves back proactively not only in the southern territories but also in the northern areas. This is a direct threat to not only the dispensation in Kabul but also to the format of security that the United States-led coalition had knitted after more than 13 years of physical presence in the war-torn country.

The fact that President Ashraf Ghani, despite his manifesto pledge to win over the Taleban as partners in peace, has not been able to lure them is emerging as his biggest political weakness. A Pashtoon himself, Ghani was better placed to strike an accord with the Taleban as he had distanced himself from the policies of his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who had shunned the militia for obvious reasons.

The question is how safe is Afghanistan as foreign forces have withdrawn. The security is far from satisfactory. Though the war-weary country has come a long way in terms of raising a credible national army and beefing up its intelligence agencies, it is clueless as to how to make peace with the remnants of yesteryears civil war. This is a challenge for Afghanistan and many of the regional countries, where militants are aligning themselves with Daesh. Kabul should revisit its resolve to share power with the Taleban, and the like, and come up with a formidable political roadmap to achieve that goal in all sincerity. Keeping the Taleban in the woods will not help in the long run.