Page 2 of
2 Talks with the Taliban gain
ground By Syed Saleem Shahzad
examples of the LTTE [Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka], the IRA
[Irish Republican Army] and others.
"It is
difficult for a state to negotiate with people
whom it brands as terrorists, but intelligence
agencies always keep their back channels open,"
said Durrani, who was also Pakistani ambassador to
Germany and Saudi Arabia and who retains active
links with top British and US
think-tanks.
"MI6 [the British Secret
Intelligence Service] always does that. Washington
has taken a tough line against the Taliban, but
these latest reports of a peace dialogue suggest
that saner [heads] are prevailing. This approach
should continue. Nobody agrees in the first phase,
but as the dialogue continues, ways will open for
settlements," said Durrani.
The president
of the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS),
retired Major-General Jamshed Ayaz Khan,
elaborated, "Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and
European countries have a common interest in a
peaceful Afghanistan." The IRS is a major Pakistan
think-tank that assists national institutions in
policymaking.
"This is a war of energy
resources, and until complete peace is ensured,
nothing can be achieved," said Khan. "Pakistan is
a major stakeholder in this game, as once pipeline
projects materialize, Pakistan's GDP [gross
domestic product] will increase 2%. However, there
is a need for Washington, the only superpower in
the world, to devise a permanent and broader
policy for a political settlement with the
Taliban.
"European countries like the
Netherlands, Britain, Germany and France have a
policy of reconciliation, but it will never work
until Washington makes up its mind over a
reasonable political settlement with the Taliban,"
Khan said.
Khan believes that successful
talks can be held with the Taliban if a pragmatic
approach is applied and Pakistan's role is
recognized.
"President General Pervez
Musharraf has already played a significant role in
paving the way for the dialogue process by saying
at the [Kabul] jirga that a peace deal with
the Taliban is a road for peace in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has been saying this from the beginning.
Pakistan deliberately did not keep the window
closed with the Taliban by retaining diplomatic
channels with them [before the US invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001]. Washington, however, kept a
tough line after September 11 [2001] and denied
the Taliban's role without realizing that the
Taliban are the sons of the soil.
"They
[Taliban] cannot leave Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda is a
foreign element, but the Taliban are local.
Similarly, the Taliban are not terrorists.
Al-Qaeda are terrorists. The Taliban's only crime
was in providing a safe sanctuary to al-Qaeda,
that's why they were targeted, but now is the time
for the world superpower to bring flexibility into
its stance," Khan said.
"A step-by-step
approach will obviously work. Initially, the focus
should be on a ceasefire during the dialogue.
Reconstruction projects, like building
watercourses and dams, should be the next step.
The Taliban will certainly allow them, as they are
local. They cannot oppose that. This initial phase
would build up the environment for the next phase,
in which political settlements could be
discussed," Khan said.
When questioned on
the Taliban's demand for "total victory", Khan
said this could be overcome. "'Victory' is a
relative term. Once the process gradually starts
and makes inroads, it will eventually reach a
political settlement. And on that level, it would
be a victory for both the Taliban and the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization.
"And once
this dialogue process begins, other factors come
into play," said Khan. "War fatigue is a big
thing. No matter how strong and committed a
guerrilla commander is, at some stage he will be
fatigued. That could be a turning point for a
settlement. Of course, Mullah Omar is a central
leader, but there are other significant commanders
who could be negotiated with separately.
"Pakistan can play an important role in
this direction, but it cannot do it alone. The ISI
has already been much maligned, so Washington's
engagement is a must.
"But Washington
needs to realize one thing. The ultimate objective
in this whole game is to secure a route through
Afghanistan [for oil and gas] to the warm waters
of Gwadar. Soviet Russia attacked Afghanistan for
the same thing, but it kept posturing as an enemy
and therefore not only failed to achieve the
objective but disintegrated. Washington needs to
take a lesson and adopt a friendly posture. If it
does so, things will certainly change in its
favor," concluded Khan.
Syed Saleem
Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau
Chief. He can be reached at
saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com.
(Copyright
2007 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
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