The elusive Afghan peace process.

Last year's agreement reached between President Trump and the Taliban to withdraw all foreign troops, including US service members, from Afghanistan by May 1 seems to have met the similar fate of all such deals made in the past. In view of the recommendations made by the US congressionally appointed panel to delay the deadline, Washington is likely release information regarding whether it would honour its former President's commitment in this regard or not. The golden opportunity provided to the US in Doha to undertake a peaceful exit-strategy from the Afghan conflict seems to have been lost in the air, perhaps forever. Meanwhile, announcing that NATO's troops would remain in Afghanistan until the time was right for withdrawal, Secretary General Stoltenberg, on February 18, lamented the fact that talks were 'fragile', the progress was 'slow', and the Afghan Forces were seemingly not capable of maintaining peace and security in the country. Are we back to square one?

The question is not how many foreign troops will leave Afghanistan and when? Neither is it the right sizing of troops or the speed of withdrawal and advantages or disadvantages of going too fast or too slow in the withdrawal process. Nor is it the debate on finding non-political solutions to the Afghan conflict. The question is whether Afghanistan will become a terror-free and peaceful country once a broad based peace plan, after reaching agreement, is successfully carried out? Would the intra-Afghan settlement of mutual grievances or striking a doable peace accord or placing a broad based stable government in Kabul allay fears of the stakeholders and provide some breathing space to the people of Afghanistan? Hopefully, yes.

The irony is that the real aim of having a stable Afghanistan has unknowingly dissolved in the unending discussion on the proportionate increase or gradual decrease or complete withdrawal of foreign troops from this eternally war ravaged country. The crucial question as to who should run the country once America's longest war in history comes to an end, still remains unanswered mainly because the warring parties desire total administrative control over the country with no interference from any sides. Rightly so then, the change of deadlines or announcing a fresh withdrawal schedule does not concern the Taliban at all. Believing that time is on their side and the withdrawal of foreign troops is on the cards in any case, they might not be seriously inclined to...

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