Doha Dialogue On ‘Peace And Security

Approximately 55 senior participants from a wide range of backgrounds gathered in Doha to discuss the shared goal of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. The meeting was a non-official (“academic”) exploration of current issues and not an official negotiation. Afghanistan government didn’t participate in the meeting. Taliban presence in this meeting pave a way for alternative peace solution.The goal of the meeting: A stable peace in an independent, unified Afghanistan that would reflect the values, including Islamic values, of the people of Afghanistan, while recognizing the diversity of the Afghans. Discussions showed that there were so many  concerns and a proper dialogue is needed to address these concerns. Some of the concerns and solutions are:

•  Peace is an urgent need. Decades of war that have been imposed on Afghanistan, have had a devastating impact on all Afghans. People are waiting impatiently for peace. If progress is not made soon, many fear the country may face other threats that might further complicate the process.
•  Military confrontation must end. The sovereignty of Afghanistan and the desired peace and stability will ultimately be achieved via political cooperation within a framework of legitimacy established by an appropriate constitution. Foreign troops must eventually leave Afghanistan.
• Some participants believe that the Constitution should be amended, while others believe that the constitution should be substantially rewritten. Concrete proposals should be discussed in detail in future meetings.
• Outside forces should not control the politics of Afghanistan. Instead, international technical, economic and cultural cooperation should be promoted.
• The freedom for all parties to discuss the path to peace needs to be ensured from now on. The highest priority in this regard is enabling all sides to sit together. Blacklists should be eliminated and freedom of movement should be guaranteed. Visas should be facilitated for those to attend such discussions and Taliban should have an office and an address.
• Jirga[1] and Pugwah for dialogue among all parties.
• A ceasefire should be part of negotiations.
• The protection of civilians and an end to civilian casualties are shared goals and high priorities. The recent increase in civilian casualty rates, including the heavy toll on children and women, was noted. All sides should ensure accountability and the prosecution of abuses.
• Constitution should ensure there will be no monopoly of power and no discrimination against people with different religions and backgrounds.
• All emphasize the need to uphold the rights of women, and to end violence against women. There should be increased accountability for human rights abuses.
• Health and education issues are a priority independent of the various political positions.
•  Protection of public properties such as schools, medical facilities, and the country’s infrastructure is essential. People who commit crimes against them should be prosecuted.

Analysis(On Taliban participation):

• Taliban are reportedly in control of around 30 per cent of the country’s districts, with their reach and control steadily on the rise. There is a lot of concern today about the impending spring offensive by the Taliban and what it would do to the Afghans. And 1,40,000 NATO troops in 2011 (and 1,20,000 in 2013) could not stop the Taliban’s territorial gains., So how is it  possible to control Taliban after troops withdrawal. In this case peace talks with Taliban is the need of the hour.
• Widespread electoral fraud during the 2014 presidential election in Afghanistan, and Washington’s involvement in making an agreement between the two contenders on the electoral outcome, has dented the legitimacy of the Afghan government. With decreasing American military support, very little political legitimacy, and sheer lack of military strength to run its writ over the country, the Afghan administration will find itself in more trouble in the years ahead. The more it delays direct talks with the Taliban, the weaker its negotiating position would become prompting the Taliban to seek even more concessions.
•  There is positive development in the vision of  Taliban. There are ready for  dialogue participants, including Afghan women, parliamentarians and civil society activists, that they would respect women’s rights (to work, choose their spouse, etc.) and ensure modern education for all, including girls.
•  Taliban representatives also underscored the importance of economically developing the country in cooperation with neighbouring states. For instance, they pledged open support for the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project and guaranteed that they would ensure the security of the pipeline along with the Afghan government
•  But along with these positive development, there are some negatives too. Taliban has the intent on creating an “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, they propose to establish a state based on the Sharia law. They are non-committal on the question of democracy, partly due to their interpretation of Islam, and partly due to their fear whether the Afghan people would accept them if they fought an open and transparent election without the might of the gun. For the Afghan government and the international community in general, it would be difficult to accept the Taliban if they do not agree to assume power through a democratic, electoral process.
•  New Delhi has had a frosty relationship with the Taliban due to a number of reasons: the deep links between the Taliban and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and the latter’s use of Afghan territory to train terrorists to fight in Kashmir; the extremely objectionable policies followed by the Taliban regime until its fall in 2001; and the highly unhelpful behaviour of the Taliban during the IC-814 hijack in 1999. However, New Delhi has realised over the years that the Taliban could one day return to power in Kabul in one form or another and that it would have to deal with them eventually.
• There is today a need for New Delhi to play a more proactive role vis-à-vis the Afghan reconciliation process. It is important to take note of the laudable attempts made by the Taliban representatives in Doha at allaying India’s fears by stating that they would not allow their territory to be used for terror activities, and that their foreign policy would not be dictated by anyone.
•  India’s Afghan policy, ever since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, has been impressive and imaginative. However, it does fall short in meeting the country’s future objectives in Afghanistan in the context of the emerging political realities there. India should therefore make use of the reconciliation process in Afghanistan to subtly engage all stakeholders there. The Doha process and the message from the Taliban leadership based in the Qatari capital should be taken seriously by New Delhi.

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[1] A jirga  is a traditional assembly of leaders that make decisions by consensus and according to the teachings of Islam.

 

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By: Vishal

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