KABUL (SW): Analysts believe behind the unprecedented revelation by Pakistan in regard to the Taliban’s presence there hides Islamabad government’s agenda to dominate the process of peace talks with the Taliban.
Earlier this week, Sartaj Aziz, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, acknowledged for the first time that the Taliban’s leadership is in Pakistan with their families.
“We have some influence on them [Taliban] because their leadership is in Pakistan and they get some medical facilities, their families are here. So we can use those levers to pressurize them to say 'come to the table”, Pakistan's top diplomat an audience at the Council for Foreign Relations in Washington on Tuesday
Ahmad Saeedi, an expert on political affairs, said while commenting on this development that the Pakistani government clearly wants to dictate terms in regard to bringing the Taliban to the negotiation table. He further said that the Afghan government has already accepted a number of pre-conditions set by the Taliban for the talks.
He noted that the Taliban’s pre-condition includes establishment of their political office, release of their comrades from various prisons, removal of their names from the United States’ Black List, amendments into the Constitution of Afghanistan, fixing an exit date for the foreign forces from and establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan.
Another expert of the affairs, Waheed Mujda, said in this regard that Pakistan seeks a strong and direct role in the peace process. In his views, the only way for peace in the country is to have an exit date for the foreign troops and establishment of a government accepted to all.
In line with the decision made at the fourth round of talks by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) held in Kabul last month, the Afghan government and the Taliban shall engage in direct talks during the month of March in Pakistan.
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