Afghanistan Times
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With each passing day, disturbing news or rather not-so-much validated rumors are propagated regarding the peace process and the engaged interlocutors. Recent reports that triggered concerns have been about the disarray in Taliban leadership due to emerging disagreements after several senior Taliban leaders fell ill to coronavirus. But hard on the heels of that came the United Nations’ report. The UN has published a fresh report about the US-Taliban agreement which points to concerns regarding the deal’s implementation and reveals that the UN members continue to be wary of the Taliban’s relationship with Al-Qaeda because they believe the Taliban-Al-Qaeda bond was growing stronger. Meanwhile, the biggest jaw-dropping revelation is that a new militant group had been created within the Taliban movement named “Hez-i-Walayat” against the US-Taliban agreement. It was earlier known that some Taliban (both in the leadership and military levels) were opposed to the peace pact and that they were divided over the issue but the formation of another faction among the insurgent group is the worst-case scenario. The veracity of the UN’s remarks can be deemed approvable to an extent. The creation of a splinter group within the rebels is not something new. Such happenings have transpired in the past too because both forces of pro-peace and anti-peace exist within the movement. However, at this time when a lot of progress has been in the peace process, the emergence of such a group seems deliberate and jeopardizing. This time around, it seems a repetitive cycle has been architected by spoilers and those who don’t see their interests secured in peace as they are continuing to create hurdles for this endeavor. Given the creation of another splinter group within insurgents, many affairs and developments would be reversed in terms of the peace process. It’s highly likely that this group would try to scuttle the gains made so far. At this juncture, the Taliban should realize that the handiwork of spoilers and enemies of Afghanistan is influential, so much so that their own group is being targeted and divided. Therefore, the insurgents’ new leadership should remain cognizant of such subversive attempts. The Taliban should come to the fore now and assure of upholding its promises to not let all the strides for peace go in vain.
