’Historic day’, Pakistani envoy says as key intra-Afghan talks begin in Qatar

Members of the Taliban delegation attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on September 12, 2020. (AFP)

• FM Qureshi participates in the opening session via video call 
• Islamabad has played a crucial role in facilitating dialogue, PM Khan says

ISLAMABAD: Talks between the Kabul government and the Afghan Taliban began for the first time in Doha, Qatar on Saturday, as the two sides sat down for a solution to end decades of conflict in the war-ravaged country.
While Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq is representing Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi participated in the opening session via a video call, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Greetings from the venue of Intra Afghan Negotiations. Indeed, it is a historic day. I earnestly hope Afghanistan would march toward peace, inclusiveness and prosperity. Let’s embrace the future!” Sadiq tweeted on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, PM Khan welcomed the start of the talks, saying in a statement that he was “deeply gratified” since his country had “fulfilled its responsibility by facilitating the initiation of intra-Afghan dialogue.”
The United States, Pakistan and other international players have been trying to usher the insurgent Taliban and the Afghan government to the negotiating table for months.
“For more than 40 years, Afghans have suffered from continued conflict and bloodshed,” the prime minister said in a statement. “Pakistan has endured the fall-out — reflected in the incidence of terrorism, loss of precious lives, and huge economic cost.”
“I have underlined for a long time that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that the only way forward is a negotiated political settlement,” he continued. “Through relentless efforts, Pakistan has played a pivotal role in facilitating the Afghan peace process to this juncture. We feel deeply gratified today as we have fulfilled our part of the responsibility.”
In a statement on Thursday evening, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wished his team success on “their mission to bring sustainable peace and stability to the country, which is the long-awaited aspiration of the people of Afghanistan.”
The intra-Afghan negotiations were initially scheduled to begin in March, after a historic Taliban-US deal signed on Feb. 29, but delays over the swap of prisoners — 5,000 held by the Afghan government and 1,000 by the Taliban — caused delays and recrimination.
The exchange was finalized only last Thursday when six remaining Taliban inmates were freed by Kabul and left for Qatar. The move prompted the Taliban to announce that they were ready for talks immediately.
Officials in Kabul confirmed that Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the High Council for National Reconciliation, and Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar, would attend the opening ceremony of the dialogue.
The Afghan team is led by former intelligence chief Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, while the Taliban’s chief negotiator is Sheikh Abdul Hakim, a hard-line cleric who has been serving as the group’s shadow chief justice.
Each of the sides is expected to field 21 negotiators for the talks. There are no women in the Taliban team, while five female delegates will be representing Kabul.
Under the February agreement, the US also agreed to a phased withdrawal of its remaining troops from Afghanistan in exchange for promises the Taliban would reduce attacks and not permit Afghan soil to be used by other militant groups.
Now, the Taliban and the government will have to agree on a power-sharing deal and issues of civil liberties, including the role of women and minorities, and on how to integrate thousands of Taliban fighters into Afghan security forces potentially.
One of the women negotiators from Kabul, Fawzia Koofi, a prominent activist and former lawmaker, told Arab News that her side would “push for enforcement of a cease-fire or drastic reduction of violence on the agenda of the talks.”
“This opportunity must not be squandered,” US secretary of state Michael R. Pompeo said in a statement. “Immense sacrifice and investment by the United States, our partners, and the people of Afghanistan have made this moment of hope possible.”
“I urge the negotiators to demonstrate the pragmatism, restraint, and flexibility this process will require to succeed. The people of Afghanistan and the international community will be watching closely. The United States is prepared to support as requested.”