On Thursday evening, an Mi-17 chopper belonging to the Punjab government crash-landed in Azra, a remote district of Afghanistan’s Logar province. The chopper was on its way to Russia via Uzbekistan for maintenance purposes, and comprised of a six-member crew that included a Russian national and some retired military officials of the Pakistan army. Conflicting reports suggested that the crew was taken hostage by the local members of the Afghan Taliban, which was confirmed by Afghan government officials, including the Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal.
Initially, Afghan Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, could not verify the incident given the number of splinter Taliban factions, but he reconfirmed the news later when it was revealed that the kidnappers destroyed the chopper. Moreover, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had contact with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and Commander of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, for arranging measures regarding swift recovery of the hostages. Both dignitaries assured their cooperation on the matter.
Furthermore, it has been reported that diplomatic and military channels on both sides of the border have been activated to secure the hostages since important calls were made in Kabul. However, the best way to resolve the matter is to remain in touch with Taliban officials that are close to both Afghan and Pakistani governments. These officials can potentially convince the local leadership in Azra district to release the hostages given the nature of the incident. Since it is not clearly known regarding which splinter group held the crew hostage, non-violent Afghan Taliban should be requested to step in as mediators to prevent any crisis from emerging.
Moreover, as of now no demands have been made by kidnappers for releasing the hostages. If any demands potentially come in, then the state should assess them carefully and no unjust demands should be entertained at any level. Afghanistan is already going through a difficult phase due to a derailed and long delayed peace process that was supposed to bring stability in light of the proposals agreed at the Heart of Asia Conference’s fifth dialogue held in December 2015 at Islamabad.
The now dormant Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) that comprises of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States must work together to bring peace in the war-torn country. The hostage crisis in Logar province signifies the fact that lawlessness is widespread in Afghan territory with the government confined to limited areas of largely urban nature. The QCG must resolve its internal differences and move forward in its ambitious goals. Pakistan is already playing a central role in the peace talks, and the recent visit of a Taliban delegation to Beijing was a small but positive step towards peace.
Nevertheless, the hostage crisis must be resolved diplomatically for the benefit of the peace process. Any mishap during the course of the crisis could further hamper peace and stability in the region. Hence, it is hoped that the right course of action would be taken by the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
We at Daily Times wish the hostages a safe and quick return home. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/06-Aug-16/hostage-crisis-in-afghanistan
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