Afghans and Pakistanis cite varying degrees of progress in Taliban talks

[pakistani342]

Article on WPost here, excerpts below:

But Afghan and U.S. officials, who monitored the talks along with a delegation from China, offered far more cautious assessments.

In a statement, Ghani described the talks as a “first step towards reaching peace.”

...

Many Afghans remain deeply skeptical of Pakistan’s motives because of the country’s long-standing ties to the Afghan Taliban.

There are also doubts about whether the Taliban negotiators speak for the fighters on the ground. The Taliban’s supreme leader, Mohammad Omar, has not been seen publicly in years, and it’s unclear whether he endorses the talks.

And there are fears that a peace deal may fuel the Islamic State in Afghanistan. One influential Taliban commander, Abdul Qayyum Zakir, has threatened to join the Islamic State or form his own group if the talks continue, according to Reuters.

...

“He gave clear directives to the ISI to make it happen,” said one Pakistani security official, referring to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

...

Many analysts believe that the Pakistani military holds enough leverage over Taliban leaders to keep them engaged in the process.

But a former Pakistani general, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn’t want to appear as if he were interfering in the process, said he worries hard-liners within the Taliban or the Afghan government could “sabotage” the process.

 

[OrionHunter]

Talks have been going on for more than half a decade but have come a cropper so far. There are too many players and vested interests involved and thus arriving at a peace formula acceptable to all will either be short-lived or worse, impossible.

If some form of a solution is arrived at to bring peace to Afghanistan, the IS/Daish will fill the vacuum created, spelling more trouble. As it is they have driven out the Taliban from some of their strongholds in Western Afghanistan and Nangarhar province.

Reuters reported Monday that ISIS aligned militants stormed Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, attacking the Taliban, and driving them out:

“IS supporters have proved ruthless, reportedly beheading several Taliban commanders, and IS’ success in taking over swathes of Iraq and Syria underlines the risks to Afghanistan.”
ISIS Drives Taliban Out of Their Stronghold and Makes its Most Frightening Attack Yet

So now, can the ISIS which is the new emerging threat in Afghanistan be forced to come to the negotiating table too? Not a chance in hell! This development is a clear and present danger to the stability of Afghanistan.

 

[Indika]

So now, can the ISIS which is the new emerging threat in Afghanistan be forced to come to the negotiating table too? Not a chance in hell! This development is a clear and present danger to the stability of Afghanistan.

Thats one of the reason taliban is pushing for talks. To be relevant either they need to join ISIS /get overrun by them or join the govt. So they are taking chances with present govt.