by Mateen Haider in The Nation, June 05, 2021
Islamabad – Afghanistan is heading towards complete deadlock and uncertainty as Taliban and Afghan government are not showing any flexibility in talks for future set up after withdrawal of the US forces by 9/11 this year.
Highly credible sources told The Nation that Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq has returned to Islamabad after two days stay in Doha where he held meetings with Taliban as well as US representatives for Afghahistan Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and senior Afghan officials.
Sources said Pakistan tried to convince the Taliban to attend the Istanbul conference which they refused and said instead their agreement with the US should be implemented.
Afghan government top officials who are in Doha believe that the Kabul government has also implemented the agreement and there is significant progress, but Taliban refute claims of the Afghan government.
US officials are pushing all Afghan parties for a broad-based government, but both the Kabul govt of Ghani and Taliban are not ready to sit in any such arrangement, which has created uncertainty for the entire region, including Pakistan.
“If Kabul is taken over by Taliban after 9/11, Pakistan would not support any such move”, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted by one participant who attended a background briefing this week in Foreign Office.
Pakistani civil military leadership is worried and fears that in such a scenario where after withdrawal of the US forces there would be intensive fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces which has created the biggest security challenge for Pakistan.
When asked Pakistani official said US would complete major withdrawal by July 4, which is US Independence Day and remaining would be completed by 9/11, this year, including vacating and handing over of Bagram base to Afghan forces.
Pakistani envoy would meet Prime Minister Imran Khan to whom he would present his report of talks with Taliban and Afghan officials in Doha and future strategy would be chalked out accordingly.
https://nation.com.pk/05-Jun-2021/taliban-afghan-govt-show-no-flexibility
