Afghan government announced a new plan for peace with the Taliban, which includes a month-long ceasefire as a precondition for initiation of peace talks with the Taliban. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Kabul, National Security Adviser Hamdullah Moheb said the government previously did not have any precondition for talks with the Taliban, but now that “divisions have emerged within the group”, they have to prove that their battlefield commanders abide by their orders by enforcing a month-long ceasefire. He claimed that Mullah Abdul Qayoom Zakir, a key Taliban commander, has joined Daesh or the Islamic State terrorist group, suggesting that Taliban have lost control over their commanders.
The government’s new peace roadmap is a positive development; however, its details are unfortunately incompatible with the ground reality. The ongoing peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban, Moheb said, would not lead to peace and stability in Afghanistan. This is something that neither the US nor the Taliban expect. The Taliban view talks with Americans as a solution to the foreign factor of the war. If the Taliban sign a peace deal or agree to a ceasefire with Americans, it will only be a peace or ceasefire between Americans and the Taliban, which means that fighting will continue between Afghans. The Taliban’s position is that the solution to the war among Afghans should be found in the second phase through intra-Afghan negotiations.
No doubt ceasefire is a dire need of Afghan people. It is good if the bloodshed of Afghans is prevented even for a day and all sides must work together to achieve this goal. Nonetheless, ceasefire as a precondition for the commencement of peace talks doesn’t seem realistic at least now, because the Taliban are not ready to unconditionally hold direct talks with Afghan government prior to signing a peace deal with Americans. If Americans and Taliban strike a deal and then intra-Afghan talks start, the first thing Afghan sides must achieve should be a ceasefire. Not only it will stop violence and bloodshed, but will also help build confidence among Afghans. Moreover, both sides will have the opportunity to discuss the future of the country with peace of mind. It means that the focus of Afghan sides will be on key national issues, and their concentration will not be divided between war and peace. Ceasefire should be declared as soon as intra-Afghan talks begin and whoever violates it will be held responsible for the killing of their own people.