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- Ongoing peace process was discussed by senior analysts and diplomats at a roundtable in Islamabad
- Pakistan should prepare for an eventuality in which Taliban peace talks do not yield a democratic set-up, experts warn
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani experts on Saturday said that "spoilers" in the region and beyond who are trying to upend the Afghan peace process will eventually be the "biggest losers."
The ongoing peace process was discussed by senior analysts and diplomats at a roundtable in Islamabad during the launch of a memoir of Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, Syed Abrar Hussain, which was recently published by the Institute of Policy Studies.
As historic negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are underway in Doha, Qatar, to end decades of armed conflict in the country, Pakistan’s former foreign secretary, Salman Bashir, told the Islamabad meeting that it is a matter of time when peace "spoilers" find themselves at the losing end.
“Spoilers conspiring against Afghan Peace Process will be the biggest losers. It's just a matter of time,” he said.
Pakistani experts and former diplomats Abdul Basit, Ammara Durrani, Salman Bashir, Khalid Rahman and Syed Abrar Hussain discuss the Afghan peace process during a roundtable meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (Photo courtesy: @IPS_1979/Twitter)
As intra-Afghan talks began on Sept. 12, Pakistani officials have been warning that the negotiations will not be without challenges as there are “spoilers” — within and outside — who do not want peace and stability to return to Afghanistan and the region.
Other roundtable participants have, however, expressed concerns that despite high expectations the Doha talks may not necessarily end with a democratic set-up and Pakistan should prepare for such eventuality.
Pakistan's former ambassador to Germany and former high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, said the strength of the Taliban as an ideological movement does not lie in democracy.
“They may never become part of any democratic government in a republican Afghanistan,” he said, adding that there may be no intra-Afghan reconciliation in the end.
“Pakistan, on the other hand, should stay prepared for any such scenarios, instead of taking credit for the peace process and taking the burden of more responsibilities in the process,” Basit said.
Pakistan has been considered as key in pushing the Taliban to the table for talks. Both Kabul and Washington are now urging the South Asian nation to use its decades-long influence over the insurgent group to make them agree to more concessions.