The recent peace efforts have revived hopes for a political end to the decades-long, bloody conflict in Afghanistan, but some points of the Taliban’s stance their representatives declared at Moscow peace conference showed the group still does not believe in peaceful resolution of the ongoing war. Talking to media after the group’s first-ever official representation at a high-level international meeting in Moscow, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s political chief, reiterated that the group’s strategy for peace talks had two phases. According to him, the Taliban will first directly negotiate with Americans about all issues related to the United States, including the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, and then engage with the Afghan side. He insisted that even by then, it would not be the government, but the political groups.
The Taliban’s insistence on talks with political groups instead of Afghan government is worrisome. It is understandable that there may be questions about the legitimacy of the government, but the political parties will be on no account considered an alternative, especially those currently operating in Afghanistan, most of which have no specific platforms, and are rather individual-focused and serve individual interests. Dialogue with such political parties further complicates the peace process because the possibility of a consensus in the government is higher than among the political groups. Even if the legitimacy of both is taken into account, the government is relatively more legitimate and credible than the political parties.
The Taliban may use the weak rule of the government as a ploy for talks with political parties, but such move will further raise doubts about the intentions of the militant group with regard to the political settlement of the conflict. If the Taliban cannot succeed to reach an agreement with the government, which is a relatively organized side, it is impossible for the Taliban to reach a deal with political parties, the majority of which consider the Taliban’s reintegration with Afghanistan’s mainstream politics a huge threat to their self-interests.
The Taliban had better revisit their position. If they want to become part of Afghanistan’s politics in the future, they have to respect the public’s demand and engage in comprehensive talks with the government in lieu of illegal deals with the political parties. Even if they want a change in the government, the Constitution or anything else, they have to seek it through legal channels.
