Ayaz Gul
May 17, 2016 9:21 AM
ISLAMABAD— Pakistan says it is “sincerely” making efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in Afghanistan because doing so would address Islamabad’s own security concerns and encourage millions of Afghan refugees and migrants who have lived in Pakistan for decades to return to their country.
National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua made the remarks Tuesday, a day before senior Afghan, Pakistani, Chinese and American diplomats are scheduled to meet in Islamabad to explore ways to start peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban.
It will be the fifth meeting this year for the parties, known as the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, or QCG.
The four-nation group earlier finalized a road map to peace but has not persuaded the Taliban to join talks with the Afghan government.
Deep differences remain between Kabul and Islamabad on how to push the Taliban to the negotiating table.
“These are trying times, challenging times. We are passing through it together. We have some differences, differences in our outlook. We are very sincerely trying to help out [in] the reconciliation. We are trying to play our role in bringing peace to Afghanistan and also to our restive areas. I am sure together we have a shared future,” Janjua said.
The lack of progress on peace talks plus increased Taliban attacks are fueling tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where insurgent commanders are allegedly sheltering.
Waiting for a decision
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani repeated his demand last week that the time has come for Islamabad to deliver on its commitments.
“All four (QCG) states committed to a road map and their obligations, particularly by the state of Pakistan. Those obligations are that if Taliban groups prove irreconcilable then there will be use of force. We are waiting for that decision,” Ghani said.
“We mean to serve the purpose we want to bring them (the Taliban) to the table. We are making our efforts,” a senior Pakistani official dealing with matters related to national security told VOA.
The absence of incentives for the Taliban to engage in peace talks, along with prevailing skepticism in Kabul about the future of Ghani’s government, have all made it extremely difficult for Pakistan to persuade the insurgent group to come to the talks, the official said.
Analysts say that differences among Taliban leaders on whether to engage in talks with Kabul are also hampering efforts to bring the insurgent group to the table. They believe new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has opted for intensifying the insurgency instead to avoid fragmentation within the group.
“The Taliban will be willing to sit down to talk when it has an incentive and it simply does not have an incentive right now,” says Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
“If it [the Taliban] were to be beaten back significantly in the battlefield and if it felt like they were on the defensive, then they will have reasons to come to the table; but I don't think we are at that point now,” said Kugelman.
National Security Adviser Janjua says Pakistan has been seeking a dignified and honorable return of nearly 3 million Afghans living in the country.
With almost no international financial assistance, the displaced population is facing extremely difficult economic pressures, and localities where they live have also caused security issues for Pakistan, he noted.
“More than everything else, it has earned us a bad name. People think that perhaps we are playing a double game. These are the refuges where [the] Taliban find their sanctuaries,” Janjua said.