Afghan Taliban not ready for talks, Pakistan told

[Zarvan]

ISLAMABAD:

Afghan Taliban negotiators have told Pakistan they are not ready to hold peace talks with President Ashraf Ghani’s government for now, sources in the insurgent group told The Express Tribune on Friday.


Three senior members of the Qatar-based Taliban political office arrived in Pakistan in late October after reports suggested that a senior Taliban leader had met Afghanistan’s spy chief in the Gulf country in the presence a senior US official.

“The Taliban representatives have wrapped up their nearly two-week visit and conveyed to Pakistani officials that they have not yet decided to enter into dialogue with the Kabul administration,” a Taliban source said. “The Taliban leaders insisted they could only say whether or not the group will join talks after two or three months,” the source added.

Other sources familiar with Taliban internal discussions said Pakistan told the visiting negotiators that it wants the Taliban to join the peace process.

Pakistan is seemingly upset at the Taliban’s refusal to come to the negotiation table and could press them to review their stance on the peace process. It is widely believed that the arrest of senior Taliban leader Ahmadullah Muti alias Mullah Nanai last month in Balochistan was aimed at conveying a message to the group to join the peace process. Nanai is seen as one of the senior Taliban leaders opposed to negotiations.

Taliban sources confirmed the detention of Nanai and three other leaders but gave no reasons for the arrests. A Taliban official had earlier stated that the Qatar-based Taliban leaders had also ‘sought an explanation’ from Pakistan about the arrest of the leaders.

Meanwhile, Hizb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmayar has urged US president-elect Donald Trump to pull out troops from Afghanistan. “Withdraw your forces and leave Afghans to decide their fate,” he said in a letter to Trump posted on the website of the group’s Daily Shahadatnewspaper.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2016.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1228413/afghan-taliban-not-ready-talks-pakistan-told/

 

[Haryanajatt]

Watching US soldiers penetrating Afghan koonie is a funny sight while their bearded male counterparts just sit aside.

 

[naseem shah]

They don't have any other option

 

[IceCold]

I think it would be wise for Pakistan and taliban to wait this one out. Let elections happen in the US and this orange face joker booted out or impeached, and someone with some sense come into the office. Pakistan should not facilitate Trump's win like Zardari and co did Obama's staging that strike to kill OBL.

 

[LeGenD]

Pakistan should not facilitate Trump's win like Zardari and co did Obama's staging that strike to kill OBL.

Pakistan did not facilitate CIA-led operation in Abbottabad, at any capacity. Dr. Shakil Afridi is in jail for a reason.

 

[IceCold]

Pakistan did not facilitate CIA-led operation in Abbottabad, at any capacity. Dr. Shakil Afridi is in jail for a reason.

For some reason i very much doubt that specially when rumors are that PAF flew to intercept only to be told to come back. It is simply impossible for that OP to take place without Pakistan's tact approval.

 

[Taskforce]

They don't have any other option

True

 

[LeGenD]

For some reason i very much doubt that specially when rumors are that PAF flew to intercept only to be told to come back. It is simply impossible for that OP to take place without Pakistan's tact approval.

Operation Neptune Spear (ONS) did not materialize out of the blue. There was an extensive study of Pakistani defenses and terrain beforehand, and plans were drawn in regards to how to circumvent them.

PAF could not intercept those helicopters on time because relevant radar systems could not provide meaningful pointers (i.e. they were spoofed by American airborne EW assets operating close to Durand Line), and those helicopters were optimized for low-observability (i.e. they produced different sounds than industry standard, had RAM coating and EW capabilities of their own). Jets have their sensor suite but finding low-observable helicopters in the night - which could be anywhere - is not easy. Radar systems on the surface give meaningful pointers to PAF, and these were missing at the time. In fact, COAS alerted ACM through a phone call, and two F-16 Jets were immediately scrambled to search for suspicious activity near Abbottabad. Raid occurred in the night around 2 AM and visual contact possibilities were slim accordingly.

It is all about technological supremacy and good home work. US can do what India cannot, bro. Painful reality for us, but it is.

On a positive note, Americans lost one helicopter during the course of the raid and we had the opportunity to inspect its rotor section. Project Azm in pipeline.

 

[Thorough Pro]

For any peace talks in Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani and all his corrupt associates need to resign. Afghanistan must have Pushtoon representation in Afghan government