News Analysis |
U.S special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has said that talks between the United States of America and the Taliban group are subjected to a temporary pause for internal deliberations. It was also confirmed by Taliban’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid who once again reiterated the group’s commitment toward peace in Afghanistan.
U.S special representative seemed optimistic with the overall outcomes of the talks so far; “Emerging from three solid days of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. Meetings were productive. We continue to take slow, steady steps toward understanding and eventually #peace”, the first part of his three tweets long statement read.
(1/3) Emerging from three solid days of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. Meetings were productive. We continue to take slow, steady steps toward understanding and eventually #peace.
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) February 28, 2019
A significant indication came from the third part where he talked about progress being made at the Afghanistan political landscape, hinting at a possible end to the deadlock where Taliban have categorically refused to offer any leverage to the Kabul government. “As talks continue in Doha, there is also progress on forming a national team in #Kabul ready to engage in intra-Afghan dialogue and talks with the Taliban”, he said.
(3/3) As talks continue in Doha, there is also progress on forming a national team in #Kabul ready to engage in intra-Afghan dialogue and talks with the Taliban.
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) February 28, 2019
The United States has been eyeing for a “graceful” exit from Afghanistan for a long time with multiple rounds of dialogues with the Taliban over the course of several years. Landing in Afghanistan with the aim of making the country a working democracy, after 17 years of war, the United States has finally settled for a surety that Afghanistan would not be used to plan any activity against the U.S in future, distancing itself from the mode of future governance.
The befitting win over India brought by Pakistan Air Force has further stretched the phycological advantage over India. Diplomatic efforts to bring the international community to its side have been effective as well.
It may sound, a for some it is, an outright defeat after 17 years of toil, there is simply no end in sight or at least not the one which the United States would settle for. Secondly, the continuous win of Taliban on the military front has made it even difficult for the United States to continue with the war and has once again resorted to dialogues. The prospects are bright this time to see an end to the conflict, courtesy of Pakistan which has played a crucial role to bring both sides on the table, as appreciated by the U.S officials themselves.
Indo-Pak War Means the Prolonged U.S Stay in Afghanistan
There have been significant developments in the rounds of negotiations between the Taliban and Zalmay Khalilzad. After the Pulwama attack, followed by Indian Air Force’s violation of LoC and subsequently Pakistani Jets bombing inside IOK right next to Indian military installations, U.S establishment would have worried about the situation as it meant that all the efforts could go down the drain.
Read more: Pakistan favors open diplomacy in response to India’s coercive diplomatic Approach
It is the same reason that during the Hanoi summit where U.S President Donald Trump had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Donald Trump mentioned that he was aware of the India Pakistan situation and that he has been hearing good news lately. It is believed that the United States has acted as the agent of détente between India and Pakistan keeping in view its own interests.
Pakistan, at the moment, is at an ideal position and using its strategic advantage for the best in history. The befitting win over India brought by Pakistan Air Force has further stretched the phycological advantage over India. Diplomatic efforts to bring the international community to its side have been effective as well. The United States with all of its influence is on the Pakistani side as well, though reluctantly but due to the current situation in Afghanistan.
Read more: International community urges India and Pakistan to exercise restraint
It is important that the momentum is kept up on the diplomatic and narrative building front to maximize the gain out of the situation. But it is very important to wrap up the Afghan peace process soon as dividing the military strength of Pakistan on western and eastern border works best in the interest of India and that is what it has been doing over several years.