US Special Representative for Afghan Peace Zalmay Khalilzad is getting all set to resume his mission of peace negotiations with the Taliban. After wrapping up the 7th round of talks with Taliban in Qatar and then heading to China to hold a meeting with Chinese, Russian and Pakistani diplomats in Beijing, Khalilzad has recently held consultations over Afghan peace with Indian and German ambassadors as well as the foreign minister of Uzbekistan in the United States. In a tweet on Saturday, the special envoy said he is getting ready to embark on “another mission in hope of making further progress”.
The report of the commencement of next round of talks with Taliban comes as the previous seven rounds of talks between American and Taliban interlocutors have not contributed to reduction of violence in Afghanistan. Violence and bloodshed are at peak after months of talks between the two sides. The Taliban’s indiscriminate attacks in cities and pro-government forces’ counterinsurgency operations in rural areas continue to embitter and shatter the lives of Afghan innocent people. Every day in Afghanistan starts and ends with bloodshed and mourning.
Afghans have not yet seen any tangible result of the ongoing peace talks. Neither has violence abated nor has progress been made in finding common ground between the Afghan sides of the war that can instill hope into people for the success of the process. Afghans have the right to witness a progress in the eighth round of talks that will effectively subside fighting and bloodshed. Khalilzad should not focus on making progress, which will be progress only for Americans and the Taliban, but continued violence and killing for Afghan people. The people of Afghanistan expect the talks to bring a change that every single Afghan citizen can personally feel in life.
Khalilzad must ensure that this round of talks end with commitment of ceasefire or at least a reduction in violence. Any negotiations, which do not serve that purpose, will bring nothing to ordinary Afghans other than political concessions to the Taliban, and their continuation will not extricate the conflict-stricken nation from the scourge of the imposed war. This time, Afghans must feel the result of the talks or else they will further lose their faith in the peace process, something that can help protract the war.
