Afghanistan Times
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It has been for months now that Afghan government and the Taliban are engaging in peace talks and also continuing fighting around the country. The prolonging war and the recent threat of Taliban to wage war if US did not meet May 1 withdrawal deadline, has appeared the strategy to appease the fighters who want an outright military victory to end the 20 years conflict. Since the Taliban is also insisting on the return of the Islamic Emirate, it finds hard that Taliban would accept a political solution. None of it is acceptable and it’s better for the Taliban to find another way and the better one is to accept a participatory government, an idea pushed for peaceful settlement by the U.S., but yet again rejected by the Afghan government who suggests an early election to reintegrate the Taliban into civil security. President Ghani and Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah have two divided ways – early election – return of Islamic Emirate. Both the proposals are apparently not applicable. Elections have always been marred with widespread corruption, and neither side agrees to accept the result. Nothing was left for another civil war when President Ghani and his main rival and the incumbent Chairman of High Council for National Reconciliation, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory in the presidential election – even both of them sworn-in as new Presidents in their offices next to each other. So early election is not the logical way out to the conflict and the same the return of the Islamic Emirate, a powerful pressing point for the Taliban, is not possible and acceptable to the Afghans. Afghanistan was completely isolated and the Taliban’s regime was considered as the darkest period in the history of Afghanistan. Girls were banned from going to schools and women from workplaces. Except few countries – utterly not necessary to reveal its names here, no other countries recognized the Taliban regime. To be honest, Afghanistan was turned into safe hideouts for the world’s terrorist groups. But the war has to end – for that we need a political compromise from both sides: the Afghan government and the Taliban. It’s highly mentionable that any path to power that prevents Afghanistan from again being labeled a pariah state will require compromise. The intra-Afghan talks have to bear significant results and apparently are progressing. There is no doubt there are some difficulties along the way, but this is the agreed framework – we can’t end the war by war.
