By: Muhammad Ibrahim Bhatti
Former US President Trump’s foreign policy, especially his negative views on the Islamic world, may be bad, but bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table with the help of Pakistan for peace in Afghanistan, the Doha Peace Accords and the ensuing Benin The consensus on the Afghan reconciliation talks was a good development that raised hopes that the four-decade-long civil war and bloodshed in Afghanistan would end, but not only because of the new US administration’s concerns. The Afghan peace process has come to a standstill, and the warring factions are once again on the brink of conflict, with daily reports of bombings, terrorist attacks and attacks by government forces. Although what Trump did to get US troops out of Afghanistan and to find a political solution to the Afghan problem was simply to win the presidential election, this process would have continued in good faith and the Doha Accord would have had positive results. ۔ Under the agreement, the United States was to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 1, but new President Joe Biden has announced a review of the clause in the agreement, as if the United States will not withdraw troops at the moment, while the Taliban’s first demand is to withdraw foreign troops. Due to the deviation of the United States from an agreed issue, the process of taking steps for peace in Afghanistan has come to a halt. This is a worrying situation. Reports have surfaced that Russia is stepping in to deal with it. According to diplomatic sources, Russian President Putin’s special envoy Zamir Kabulov’s visit to Islamabad was a link in the same chain. It is reported that Russia has convened a meeting of regional countries on the Afghan issue in Moscow later this month in which Pakistan has accepted his invitation. Russia wants a government consisting of all Afghan groups in Afghanistan and wants to establish a joint mechanism with a broad consensus in the countries of the region. This is a good effort. Russia has also invited the United States and the Kabul government to attend the meeting, but according to diplomatic observers, their participation is unlikely. If Russia’s attempt fails, the political solution to the Afghan problem will be further delayed, which is natural for Pakistan to be affected. It is an indisputable fact that peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan is interdependent. In the past, foreign intervention and instability in Afghanistan have severely damaged law and order in Pakistan as well, which need not go into details. Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan has always been positive. Ahmed Wali Masood, brother of Commander Ahmad Shah Masood, has also admitted this in his interview in Geo TV program Jirga. He also said that there was no problem between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan. If there is a difference, it is between governments and institutions. At a literary festival in Lahore, former diplomats rightly pointed out that the solution to the Afghan problem depends on President Biden’s strategy and will determine the direction of Pakistan-US relations. Pakistan became an unwarranted partner in the US war in Afghanistan and lost thousands of lives. Despite this, the United States continued to issue Domore’s writ. President Biden should be expected to pursue a positive policy towards peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan, unlike his predecessor.
