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Journalism of Courage
The talks in Doha can be a small,though important,step towards reconciliation in Afghanistan
The first round of the long-anticipated talks between the United States,which plans to end its combat role in Afghanistan by 2014,and the Taliban,the principal challenger to the current political order in Kabul,will take place this week in Doha,Qatar. The objective is to find an internal political reconciliation that will ensure a durable political structure in Afghanistan as the decade-long international military presence in the country winds down. Few would disagree with the proposition that military means alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan and that some form of political engagement with the Taliban is necessary. But many in India and the world are not ready to bet that the Taliban,which enjoys strong support from the Pakistan army,is amenable to a reasonable political bargain in Afghanistan.
Despite the Talibans reluctance to abandon violent extremism,Washington has chosen to press ahead with the dialogue. America is taking comfort from the Talibans vague promise to dissociate itself from the al-Qaeda. While it has refused to recognise the current elected government led by President Hamid Karzai,the Taliban has hinted at its readiness to engage all Afghans. The US hopes that its initial engagement with the Taliban will lead to direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban. But,uncomfortable with the contradictions in the dialogue process,Karzai had withdrawn support hours after the talks were announced. On its part,Delhi has good reason to stay sceptical about the prospects for political reconciliation in Afghanistan. Yet,the time has also come for India to step up its engagement with all Afghan formations and intensify its support to Kabul. India must continue to caution the US against too many compromises with the Taliban and its chief patron,the Pakistan army,in its eagerness to withdraw from Afghanistan.
