Peace in Afghanistan will benefit the region: speakers.

ISLAMABAD -- Peace process in Afghanistan should not be seen as a zero sum game, but as a much needed bid to restore peace as well as prosperity in the country and the region.

These were the views of most of the speakers at a special webinar on 'Afghan Peace Process: The Way Forward' organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on Wednesday.

Speakers included retired 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 a leading role in seeking peace with the Taliban and the authority to name half the cabinet were historic achievements.

Both offer 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.

Say complete withdrawal of the US was not on the table

The speakers were of the view that while the US might have arm-twisted both to sign the power-sharing deal to make the environment conducive for dialogue with the Taliban, it also addressed President Ghani's reservation of being pushed out of the loop in the Doha Agreement and putting him back into the heart of affairs along with Abdullah Abdullah.

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

They were of the opinion that complete withdrawal of the US was not on the table. The US will 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, they said.

Ambassador Riaz Mohammad Khan discussed how this power sharing arrangement between two election opponents lucidly defined both their roles.

President Ghani will have undivided control over the office of the executive without having to deal with another defacto 'Prime Minister' and his powerplay, whereas Abdullah Abdullah, having a reputation for building consensus amongst different political groups, is saddled with leading the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR). Responsibilities are split based on the strengths of both politicians which is a good omen, Mr Khan said.

He also pointed out that while the Taliban have outlasted...