Fatima Talib

Afghan Senate (colloquially known as Meshrano Jirga), in a bid to bring Taliban to negotiation table, has urged immediate talks with them. This move by the 101 members’ house, headed by its Chairman Sibghatullah Mojadidi, becomes relevant in Afghanistan’s current internal atmosphere subject to increasing resistance from within the Afghan masses and the UNFA (United National Front of Afghanistan).
As the Taliban see it, they are fighting against the subjugation of the Afghan people by the infidel armies of the West. As such, any Afghan who supports the Western armies is considered an infidel. This notion was promoted across the country, and found reasonable resonance in a society with strong memories of 10-years jihad against the Soviets in the 1980s.
People have been urged to leave areas controlled by North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led (NATO) forces and resettle in isolated communities. The fierce NATO response to the resurgent Taliban led to the killing of hundreds of non-combatant tribespeople, including women and children. Tribal leaders had little or no moral ground to restrain the mounting anger among people to join the retaliation against NATO and its allies. This helped Taliban to expand their operations from the South-Western provinces of Zabul, Orzugan, Helmend and parts of Kandahar to the Western provinces of Heart, Farah, Ghor and Baghdais, with the assistance of non-Taliban warlords. Similarly, they gained a foothold in the South-Eastern provinces of Kunar, Paktia, Khost, Gardez and Nangarhar.
This phenomenon of Taliban’s resurrection is forcing the Afghan government to extend reconciliatory hand towards them and find some political solution where Taliban can play a key role. The sheer need of the time is the reformation in all fields of life in Afghanistan like infrastructure, education, health, economy, socio political participation of the local public and above all security. But lack of funds for reconstruction, occupation of the land by the foreign forces, corruption and the rising drug menace are the problems having toll on Afghanistan.
Kabul and the western capitals have had chosen, in the recent past, to simply talk about the Taliban and blame Pakistan for all these problems. The major role in this blowing wind is played by America, which is though happy with the performance of Pakistan in war on terrorism but not with the situation in the tribal areas of Pakistan, particularly the peace deal signed with the heads of these areas and the rise of pro Taliban and al Qaeda elements in the restive regions. Therefore the US is wheedling other key players like NATO and coalition forces to pressurize Pakistan in eliminating these operatives.
President Musharraf is trying to keep his hard line stance and resisting these allegations of Afghanistan and America. While giving an interview, to Al-Jazeera T.V, President Pervez Musharraf said that Afghanistan should put a stop to the accusations that it has been leveling against Pakistan with reference to the internal situation of Afghanistan. He advised the Afghan rulers that they should try to contemplate the reasons of increasing support of Afghan masses for the Taliban. The president said anti-Taliban leaders like Gulbaddin Hikmatyar were also joining the resistance movement against the government and the allied forces. He accused that Afghan president was trying to make Pakistan a scapegoat by this blame game that he initiated right from the time he came into power. He said that Pakistan had time and again reiterated that it was not meddling into the internal affairs of Afghanistan and that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan itself. However it remains the fact that Afghan rulers have been unsuccessful in resolving the problems of the Afghan people who are increasingly extending their support for the Taliban because they perceive the Afghan rulers as the puppets in the hands of foreign powers who are working for the accomplishment of ulterior motives and negative agenda of their foreign masters.
Afghan rulers and the allied forces have not come up to the expectations of Afghan masses from any perspective and now situation has changed so much that those common peace-loving Afghans, which  were once at the forefront of the anti-Taliban movement, have also started backing the Taliban. Thus, it is the reaction of the Afghan masses that can be seen in entire Afghanistan as the result of the actions of Afghan president and his foreign patrons. Pakistan has never tried to exploit the internal situation of Afghanistan, as it knows that the instability and mayhem of Afghanistan will trigger huge migrations of Afghan people to Pakistan. Consequently, Pakistan wants an exemplary peace in Afghanistan so that the influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan could be prevented.
On the other hand establishment of Pak-Afghan Jirga was decided at white house in September 2006 in presence of President George Bush to strengthen the relation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries agreed but the blame game played by both side could not let the Jirga configure. During the Ankara meeting Karzai and Musharraf reaffirmed their resolve to hold the Jirga, and subsequently their Jirga met in Kabul on May 4 and 5. This Jirga is about Taliban, Hizb-e-Islami and other resisting groups and their resurgence, establishment of peace among tribes on the border, and other border issues. But it is quite difficult to have all these people into Jirga. If Afghans take part in Jirga, their first demand would be the detention of the foreign forces from Afghanistan. American monarchs have already made it clear that they are not ready to accept the Afghan Jirga rather such kind of Jirga commission should be formed, which could establish some practicable line of action instead of talking about the prevailing issues.
Taliban refuted the establishment of the Pak-Afghan Jirga and considered it a betrayal with Afghanis. The same way Hizb-e-Islami is also not ready to accept the status of Jirga. There are many southern powers in Afghanistan who want to see a majority of southern alliance in Afghan Jirga so that Pak-Afghan relation could improve and the increasing cross-borer conflicts could be stopped. According to Kabul, forming Pak- Afghan Jirga is very important therefore Afghan Senate allowed Karzai to have a direct dialogue with Taliban, Hikmatyar and other resisting groups and granted him permission through passing a bill.
Though he tried to have dialogues with Taliban and Hikmatyar prior to that but he had no legal authority to do so but now he is legally authorized due to the issued bill. It is for the very first time after the American occupation on Afghanistan that Karzai has been given right to talk to Taliban and other insurgents.
It can bring changes if Karzai makes an affirmative use of his power and go for a dialogue with Taliban and Hikmatyar regarding present situation in Afghanistan and the international relation of Afghanistan particularly with Pakistan without holding it responsible for what may ever happens across the border.
However the need of the hour is that Afghan president Hamid Karzai should restrain from blaming Pakistan and accept the ground realities and his own shortcomings and lapses. Also, he should convince his foreign masters that dialogue and negotiations with all anti-government forces including Taliban are vital for a durable peace in Afghanistan. Given the increasing resistance of Afghans against the allied forces, the allies of America are gradually withdrawing their support. However, time is not far when America will be left alone in the quagmire of Afghanistan. Afghan president should categorically call upon his master and patron, American president George Bush that the later should change his policy of suppressing the spirit of Jihad and freedom of Afghan people by the use of force and avoid putting the repute of the sole super power of the world at stake by saving it from the possible debacle in Afghanistan.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are close allies fighting for a common cause but they come at odds with each other almost on every issue from motive to modus operandi. Charging Pakistan did nothing to eliminate Taliban, rather Pakistan itself has been targeted by terrorist assaults inside the country. At least for 16 times, Peshawar has been targeted with wrecking bomb blasts ripping through different parts of the province since September 19 last year including the recent suicide blast on May 15, which left 22 people dead and 30, injured. Then, the deadly attack on Interior Minister, Aftab Sherpao on April 28 at Charsadda and many other big bang carnages with a suicide note, warning a lethal fate for those who spy for America, are not just tell a tale story. The later brutal incident might be a result of the killing of Taliban top operational commander Mullah Dadullah, who was killed in a fight with security forces on May 13, 2007.
NATO confirmed that he had been eliminated in a US led operation. The government of Pakistan is denying any linkage between the death of Mullah Dadullah and the Peshawar suicide attack. Because, according to the high officials, “Dadullah was an Afghan national operating from Afghanistan and he died there. Pakistan has nothing to do with it”.
The million dollar question is that why the ‘war-on terror elites’ do not pay attention to the ongoing terrorism inside Pakistan which may be caused by the extra miles taken by Pakistan in eliminating terrorism and to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan into the streamline.
In the meeting of these big shots in Washington some time ago, Karzai with his ‘connivance theory’ blamed Pakistan and was rest assured that Taliban have been provided sanctuary in the tribal areas where they are recruited, trained and armed for their operations. He also speculated a conspiracy theory behind Islamabad’s inability to stop cross-border movement and held Musharraf regime, and in particular ISI, responsible for the deteriorating situation.
The bottom line of Karzai’s allegation was that the ISI is in the league with Taliban. Consequently Musharraf with his tantrum out of the blue called Karzai an ‘elephant with out feat’. He also told him on his face that by playing such tactics he would not win war against Taliban. Musharraf and Karzai did not even shake hands in Ankara. It seems as if both these leaders are much more into the war of words with each other.
The Ankara declaration addressed Kabul’s most pressing charge that Pakistan is providing sanctuary and training facilities for what Afghan officials describe as ‘enemies of Afghanistan’ and enemies of peace and security’. Ankara meeting appears to be more of the same as the other meetings held before and it does not seem they have gained any fresh ground. The presence of pro Taliban axis in the tribal areas is an open secret. Whether or not Islamabad admits it, these elements have also been moving across the Afghan border to take part in militant actions. Kabul insists that Taliban have now setup their operation heads in Pakistan’s territory from where they launch their attacks on NATO forces and Kabul troops. Musharraf clearly disowned Taliban and asked Karzai that ‘Taliban are your problem not ours’. In response Karzai planned to launch heavy crack downs on pro-Taliban elements in tribal areas and the combing of sanctuaries and suspected hideouts of the militants and also suggested that if you can not do it then let the NATO forces cross over and do the job for you (Pakistan). Letting the NATO forces in would be the last thing Islamabad think of to retain its alliance with America.
Despite improved relations, the affairs between both the countries are getting worse for political antagonism is leading to military clashes. It was hoped that Ankara summit might put an end to the blame game between both countries but all in vain.