New governance framework imperative for sustainable Afghan peace: Diplomats.

ISLAMABAD -- Afghanistan has made historic achievements regarding peace recently, senior diplomats said on Wednesday.

The Islamabad Policy Research Institute organized a special webinar on 'Afghan Peace Process: The Way Forward', which featured former ambassadors Riaz Mohammad Khan, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and Rustam Shah Mohmand.

It was unanimously agreed that the US-Taliban peace deal in February this year, and President Ashraf Ghani giving Abdullah Abdullah the leading role in seeking peace with the Taliban and the ability to name half the cabinet, were historic achievements.

Both offers hope for the much more challenging stage of the peace process in Afghanistan, the intra-Afghan dialogue between the Kabul government, various political factions and the Taliban.

All the speakers agreed that the Taliban's capacity to control violence was questionable and so before the withdrawal, the US along with other regional leaders needed to define the minimum standard of what would constitute the new governance framework of the country.

It was also opined that complete withdrawal of the US is not on the table. The US would likely have presence in Afghanistan to keep a close eye on China, and perhaps even support Indian interests in the region, which might keep them in confrontation with the Taliban.

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Ambassador Riaz Muhammad Khan discussed how this power sharing arrangement between two election opponents lucidly defined the role of both: President Ghani, who being a technocrat, would have control of the executive without having to deal with another de facto 'Prime Minister', whereas Abdullah Abdullah, having a reputation for building consensus amongst different political groups, is saddled with leading the High Council for National Reconciliation. He also pointed out that while the Taliban have outlasted American military might, their test begins on the negotiating table.

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