Stabilizing Afghanistan: Agenda – 2015

Abstract

Stable Afghanistan, is still a distant dream, well after 12 years since ruling Taliban were dislodged, post 9/11. The US led foreign forces operating in Afghanistan has managed barely to bring fragile-peace that too at the huge cost in terms of personnel, finance and prestige. Pakistan was initially viewed as a reliable partner due to geo-strategic and professional reasons. Few years later, however Pakistan was accused of playing ‘double game’ and held responsible for undermining the ‘war on terrorism’ by supporting significant section of Afghan Taliban and other terrorist groups. The US, in particular went to the extent of castigating Islamabad openly; and brought to bear significant financial and diplomatic pressure to shun the ‘double game’. The current initiative named “Peace Process Roadmap 2015” nevertheless once again accords primacy to Pakistan in arranging direct peace talks for a coalition government in Kabul. This paper critically analyses “Peace Process Roadmap 2015” and argues that it has a better potential to succeed in prevailing socio-political environ in Afghanistan, in view of consistent policy failures that we have been witnessing since 2005.