Afghanistan Times
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Over four decades have passed since the start of the nonstop imposed war in Afghanistan that has ruined the country to a larger extent. During these difficult years, many Afghans have lost their lives, many more wounded and million others were forced to leave their country. More orphans and widows are the legacy of this war. During these years several attempts were also made to stabilize the country, but none of it bear any result, rather causing more war even deadlier from its previous one. Many peace meetings were missed in the past as neither warring sides agreed to participate and in case they did so, despite its successful conclusion, no sides had implemented and went by the decision taken on the peace meetings to end the long-year Afghan war. Now again in the year 2021, we are in the same boat of peacemaking but the Taliban are making excuses and not willing to attend the upcoming Turkey Conference that was slated for April 24. It has been postponed after Ramdan and Eid festivities. It’s a big question that why the Taliban has deliberately wanted to miss such an important meeting on the Afghan peace when war is no more the solution. Using military force from both sides (Afghan and Taliban) have already been proved unproductive and fruitless where the victims are primarily the civilians. Negotiations to end the war and bring peace which is the long desire of the war-hit Afghans, has once again hit a bump in the road. Each peace effort has failed or stalled in the past, including the recent Doha peace effort that facilitated for the first time direct talks between Afghan and Taliban negotiations in Qatar, a country where the US and Taliban signed a peace agreement last year. And the Turkey conference is in the same scenario because it would be meaningless without the Taliban joining. It’s imperative for the US, Turkey, Qatar, and the United States to remain pressing the Taliban to join the talks otherwise it would be a mistake of history if Afghanistan and its people once again left in the uncertain war. The first responsibility is utterly on the shoulder of the Afghans, including the Taliban, to come forward and sort out their difference through negotiations as peace is in the benefit of all, and of course we already tested the war which is ugly and deadly.
