Afghan Peace Talk Will Fail Without Us: PM Gilani

[GUNNER]

Afghan Peace Talk Will Fail Without Us: PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD, Oct 12, 2010 (AFP) - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Tuesday that renewed Afghan efforts to make peace with the Taliban and end the nine-year war would fail without Pakistan's help.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said this week he had renewed overtures to the insurgents, confirming in a US television interview that his government had been holding talks with the Taliban "for quite some time".

But Gilani told reporters in Pakistan's northwestern city of Charsadda that Pakistan had an essential role to play if there was to be any prospect of peace.

"Nothing will happen without us, because we are a part of the solution, we are not a part of the problem," Gilani said.

On Sunday, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani was elected chairman of a new peace council set up to broker an end to the war with the Taliban.

Backed by Karzai, the High Peace Council intends to open a dialogue with insurgents who have been trying to bring down his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their regime in late 2001.

Gilani refused to be drawn on whether Pakistan backed the plan.

"When Karzai shares his roadmap with America and they share the roadmap with us, then we will be in a position to comment on it."

Last week the Washington Post said secret talks were believed to involve the Afghan government and representatives authorised by the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban group based in Pakistan, and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The Taliban, which have been fighting an increasingly violent insurgency, have said publicly they will not enter into dialogue with the government until all 152,000 foreign troops based in the country leave.

 

[karan.1970]

Almost sounds like admission of complicity in the situation in Afghanistan..

 

[Spring Onion]

Almost sounds like admission of complicity in the situation in Afghanistan..

like admission of complicity in the situation in Pakistan by US by pushing terrorists into Pakistan

 

[karan.1970]

like admission of complicity in the situation in Pakistan by US by pushing terrorists into Pakistan

Dont see the connection...

 

[Nothing]

Afghan Peace Talk Will Fail Without Us: PM Gilani.

Why the hell Gilani is admitting this.. making more negative impression of Pakistan....

He can put statement in some more positive way like " We will help to make Afghan peace talk successful"

 

[Omar1984]

Afghan peace talks will fail without Pakistan: PM

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani


ISLAMABAD — Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Tuesday that renewed Afghan efforts to make peace with the Taliban and end the nine-year war would fail without Pakistan's help.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said this week he had renewed overtures to the insurgents, confirming in a US television interview that his government had been holding talks with the Taliban "for quite some time".

But Gilani told reporters in Pakistan's northwestern city of Charsadda that Pakistan had an essential role to play if there was to be any prospect of peace.

"Nothing will happen without us, because we are a part of the solution, we are not a part of the problem," Gilani said.

On Sunday, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani was elected chairman of a new peace council set up to broker an end to the war with the Taliban.

Backed by Karzai, the High Peace Council intends to open a dialogue with insurgents who have been trying to bring down his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their regime in late 2001.

Gilani refused to be drawn on whether Pakistan backed the plan.

"When Karzai shares his roadmap with America and they share the roadmap with us, then we will be in a position to comment on it."

Last week the Washington Post said secret talks were believed to involve the Afghan government and representatives authorised by the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban group based in Pakistan, and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The Taliban, which have been fighting an increasingly violent insurgency, have said publicly they will not enter into dialogue with the government until all 152,000 foreign troops based in the country leave.

Pakistan was the chief supporter of the Taliban regime, which imposed a harsh brand of Islam on Afghanistan from 1996 until its ouster in a US-led military operation after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Afghan and Western officials have long suspected that elements of the Pakistani establishment, notably the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, offer support to Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan has always rejected the accusations, saying it is committed to fighting the Taliban and is actively targeting militants.


AFP: Afghan peace talks will fail without Pakistan: PM

 

[Omar1984]

Afghan peace talks

There is no disputing Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s contention that the Afghan peace process will not succeed without Pakistan’s participation. This view is now being shared by a large number of writers in the US as well.

First of all, when it is contended that Pakistan’s role is indispensable to solving the overall Afghan conundrum, it should not be misconstrued as a selfish attempt by Islamabad to merely secure its own interests. Rather, it must be seen as a friendly gesture to help out a brotherly country. Pakistan’s inclusion in the reconciliation process assumes all the more importance given the fact that the US attempts to woo sections of the Afghan resistance have not had much success and, except for the puppet regime in Kabul, virtually the entire country’s populace is braying for the blood of the American forces. A majority of warring factions in Afghanistan, for instance the Haqqani network and sections of Taliban, are still reportedly giving the cold shoulder to the US and the fact that they are relatively less hostile towards Pakistan would make a lot of difference if we were to be made part of the talks.

So Mr Gilani is right in saying that the peace initiative in Afghanistan will not bear fruit unless Pakistan is taken on board. Islamabad is also right in urging the US not to forget about the composition of the Afghan society especially with respect to the Pashtun population. Of course, there are Pashtuns in greater numbers in Pakistan as well which explains for its close cultural and historical affinity with Afghanistan and hence it would be wrong to see the Pashtuns in Afghanistan in isolation from their brethren across the border. The US bent of mind to keep the Pashtuns away from the corridors of power and their disposition to give the reins of power disproportionately to the Northern Alliance, would stymie any possibility of peace in the country. And what is more, this would prove to be disastrous for Pakistan’s own stability given the way New Delhi has entrenched itself in the Northern Alliance.


At the same time, the Pentagon’s monopoly over the decision-making process concerning the war on terror and its preference to rely on the use of force rather than dialogue is also a factor that would seriously hinder attempts at bringing stability to the war-torn nation. It is precisely this very arrogance that has led the US to underestimate Pakistan’s position in the Afghan equation. A lasting settlement of the prevailing quagmire demands that the US brings us on the negotiating table.


Afghan peace talks | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

 

[GUNNER]

Pakistan Offers To Facilitate Afghan Peace Talks

BRUSSELS, Oct 15, 2010 (AFP) - Pakistan is ready to facilitate talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the interests of regional peace, the country's foreign minister said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at a Pakistan aid conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said reconciliation was "basically an Afghan initiative."

"They have to own it, they have to lead it. We are there to help, we are there to facilitate."
It was "in Pakistan's interest", he said, to have a peaceful Afghanistan.

Qureshi was in Brussels co-hosting a daylong "Friends of Democratic Pakistan" meeting with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.

Also attending the meeting of 26 countries and international institutions are a slew of foreign ministers and dignitaries, including US envoy for the region, Richard Holbrooke.

Afghan and Western officials have long suspected that elements of the Pakistani establishment, notably the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, continue to support the militia.

Pakistan has always rejected the accusations, saying it is committed to fighting the Taliban and is actively targetting militants.

 

[Omar1984]

Pakistan must be involved in Afghan talks, says Gilani

* Prime minister says Musharraf govt allowed use of drones for surveillance only, not for attacks

* US being asked to enter into civil nuclear technology cooperation on India’s pattern

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan must be involved in the “negotiation process” as it is part of the solution to Afghan problem, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Friday.

Talking to office bearers of the Diplomatic Correspondent Association of Pakistan (DCAP) at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani said, “Without involving Pakistan, any negotiation process cannot succeed.”

He said Pakistan had taken an initiative on the Afghanistan issue and was making sincere efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.

Gilani said, “Pakistan is part of the solution to the Afghan issue, and not the problem.”

About Pakistan’s role in reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he pointed out that during Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s last visit to Islamabad, it had been agreed that Afghanistan would share the plan with Pakistan.

He said, so far, this plan has not been shared and once information is provided, a decision would be taken as to how Pakistan could cooperate. He said Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan had improved and were far better than they were in the past.

“Our destinies are inter-twined, our circumstances are distinct and apart. The ****** concept is inherently flawed. We have strongly rejected such a concept,” he added.

Musharraf govt: Gilani also revealed for the first time that former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf gave approval for US drones to make surveillance flights over the country.

“The previous government gave them permission for surveillance and reconnaissance flights by US drone aircraft but not to launch missile attacks,” he told the diplomatic correspondents. He also contradicted reports that Pakistan had provided bases to the US to operate these drones. He said the US had been told in categorical terms that drone attacks were counter-productive. He said, “Pakistan is also trying to convince the US to either provide drone technology or share actionable intelligence so that Pakistan’s own forces could take action inside our territory.”

Nuclear deal: The PM said Pakistan was pursuing strategic dialogue with the US on the basis of mutual respect and its national interests. He said the US recognised the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terrorism and this had been reiterated during a meeting of President Obama with Pakistani delegation at the strategic dialogue in Washington. Gilani said Pakistan demanded the US enter into a civil nuclear technology cooperation on the pattern of India.

He also expressed concerns over the prevailing situation in Indian-held Kashmir, adding that Pakistan would continue to extend full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just cause. Terming development as the number one strategic priority of his government, Gilani said it requires a peaceful neighbourhood. staff report/agencies


Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

---------- Post added at 11:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ----------

India's slave Karzai doesn't want to include Pakistan into talks with Taliban, its quite clear. We knew from day Karzai became President of Afghanistan, his ill intentions towards Pakistan.

Pakistan has gained nothing from being a USA's front-line ally in this global war OF terror. india has gained way more even though it didnt make the sacrafices Pakistan made.

 

[Omar1984]

Pakistan kept in the dark about Afghan peace contacts

ISLAMABAD (updated on: 2010-10-22 17:44:41 PST):

Pakistan is being kept out of efforts by the Afghan government and the United States to end nearly a decade of war with the Taliban, which could be a sign of Washington's mistrust of Islamabad's intentions.

Nato and Afghan officials have confirmed preliminary contacts between President Hamid Karzai's government and the Taliban.

Pakistan's sway over the insurgents makes it a key ally for Washington in its attempts to stabilise Afghanistan, but Islamabad's reluctance to crack down on what it sees as insurance in any Afghan settlement has also angered the United States.

"We haven't been consulted or informed or asked to facilitate any talks. We are not in the loop," a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Other officials said they were aware of these contacts but they had not been taken into confidence about anything.


The Obama administration is under pressure to show successes in Afghanistan ahead of a December strategy review and the planned start of a troop drawdown set to begin next July.

Analysts say Nato's facilitation of the Afghan talks without involving Pakistan could be aimed at pressuring it into taking tougher action against the militants who fuel violence in Afghanistan from their Pakistani sanctuaries.

"Perhaps this is another attempt by Nato to send a warning message to Pakistan that unless it adheres more to Nato's line, Pakistan can be excluded from these talks," said Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and expert on militancy.

The US forces have stepped up a military campaign in Afghanistan and also intensified missile strikes by pilotless drone aircraft and helicopter incursions on militants' safe havens on the Pakistani side of the border.

Pakistani officials, meeting in Washington this week for a "strategic dialogue" where Afghanistan is likely to loom large, are adamant that peace in Afghanistan is not possible without Islamabad's help.

"Nothing can be done without us because we are part of solution. We are not part of the problem," Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told reporters last week.

Another security official was more blunt.

"Without Pakistan or the ISI, it's not going to work. ... Let them try their options," he told Reuters.

Ahmed said Pakistan had a "lot of cards" to scuttle any efforts to end war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan could use these leaders and their factions as bargaining chips as efforts to stabilise Afghanistan gather pace and also check the growing influence of its arch-rival India in Afghanistan.

But despite its dominant role in Afghanistan, there is a limit to Pakistan's influence over Taliban as well, analysts say.

"The Taliban will take care of Pakistan's interests but not at the cost of their own interests. This is very clear because it will damage their credibility among Afghans," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on tribal and militant affairs. "ISI also knows this and it will not put too much pressure on the Taliban."

Rashid said Pakistan's role was crucial in shaping up a final settlement to the Afghan problem, but it should also address concerns of the international community.

"The Pakistan military should show more understanding of the interests of other regional countries in Afghanistan. I don't think it's happening right now."


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