Hassan Khan
It was not a mere coincidence that the US point person for talking to Taliban Zalmi Khalilzad and a senior delegation of the Taliban militia political office in Qatar were in Islamabad the same day.
The visit of Taliban delegation kept secret while Khalilzad spent a busy time meeting with Pakistani leadership.
Whether Khalilzad met with Taliban delegation members in Islamabad? No one heard about that but experts believed that it was quite possible.
Khalilzad is on his second visit to Islamabad and will be visiting eight other countries, before landing at United Arab Emirate capital for his schedule meeting with Taliban leaders.
In Islamabad Khalilzad wanted to seek Pakistani support - as requested in a letter written by his boss US President Donald Trump to Pakistani prime minister.
Historically, both President Trump and Khalilzad are known to be irrevocably averse to Pakistan and have time and again made their anti Pakistan sentiments public. It will be naive to suggest to the Pakistani leadership dealing with foreign policy affairs to be aware of the improvised change of mind of Trump-Khalilzad, however, as just soft reminder ' to be (aware)' before leaping into action on their behalf.
To the request put in the letter, Pakistan shall not exhibit any extraordinary haste like the one already exhibited by Khalilzad in talks with Taliban. Pakistan needs be careful in rolling out the red carpets. Please.
It has been observed that proxies and woofers of US in Pakistan have already started mounting the moving float of what they think is politically principled. They are raising questions about nauseatingly repetitive 'good Taliban' and asking who issued travel documents to Taliban negotiators? After all the question is valid, as how the Taliban delegations is visiting Pakistan? And on which country documents?
Of Taliban delegation in Islamabad and their reported meeting with the militia supreme leader Mulla Haibatullah. There are rumors the delegation also called on Khalilzad secretly. Very well. But where? Somebody must tell who other is Khalilzad going to talk to or meet and where? In Pul e Charkhi jail or caves of Paktika or town of Chaman? And be ware that President Trump is not seeking help from Pakistan for to see Mullah Fazlur Rehman or Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Both Trump and Khalilzad are not requesting to be able to negotiate with Afghan Taliban with Pakistan's help. Talks with Taliban members are already there and in mid of current December Khalilzad will again see the militia members probably in Dubai. Its not asking Taliban to set with the US. But indeed convincing the Taliban to talk to Afghan government led by Dr Ashraf Ghani - a proposal Taliban are vehemently denying. The other demand, the US probably have, is forcing Taliban militia to announce immediate ceasefire...as the talks goes on.
The self appointed warriors of political morality who are asking Pakistan to jump the US bandwagon, must understand, if surly they don't know, what is the game plan.
This is the time Pakistani must ask the US and Afghan government to talk straight and put all the cards on the table before going to the room. Past is not a good experience.
Then. As the Taliban delegation is in Pakistan, on what papers? On whose permissions? The US has not yet declare Taliban negotiators as white. And the US is not going to take responsibility for their travel; nor has sought any permission for their travel officially from the UN Security Council. If Washington wants then why the delay? Both things US does not appear to have done and for a good reason perhaps. The trick might be that if talks fail as happened in Murree or QCG in recent past, Pakistan will be there to be whipped, and the likes of Zalmi Khalilzads and Bruce Riedels be unleashed to pounce upon Islamabad for - might be - violating sacrosanct sanctions regime.
Meanwhile, besides Pakistan, Taliban leadership also have to revisit the recent history of direct talks with the US. Zalmi has been re-inducted into the talks after his fateful failure last time, for which he had his bloated ambitiousness only to blame.What is the guarantee that he has been fumigated this time around?
The next point to consider is that the US showed similar eagerness and rush last time when talks were held in Murree where reasonable progress for peace in Afghanistan had become visible.
And,with in days they killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansur in a drone strike. Their doormat in Afghanistan wasted no time to officially complain to Security Council about travel ban violation by Pakistan. US actually shot themselves in the foot by this utterly thoughtless killing as he might have been their last hope for a political settlement in Afghanistan.
Finally they might begin with by asking US to unveil their strategic intent; Does the US want to permanently stay in that country or leave honorably that is with a notion of victory?
Strategic haziness will not work as defeat is staring at Resolute Support Mission right in the face.
-------
The visit of Taliban delegation kept secret while Khalilzad spent a busy time meeting with Pakistani leadership.
Whether Khalilzad met with Taliban delegation members in Islamabad? No one heard about that but experts believed that it was quite possible.
Khalilzad is on his second visit to Islamabad and will be visiting eight other countries, before landing at United Arab Emirate capital for his schedule meeting with Taliban leaders.
In Islamabad Khalilzad wanted to seek Pakistani support - as requested in a letter written by his boss US President Donald Trump to Pakistani prime minister.
Historically, both President Trump and Khalilzad are known to be irrevocably averse to Pakistan and have time and again made their anti Pakistan sentiments public. It will be naive to suggest to the Pakistani leadership dealing with foreign policy affairs to be aware of the improvised change of mind of Trump-Khalilzad, however, as just soft reminder ' to be (aware)' before leaping into action on their behalf.
To the request put in the letter, Pakistan shall not exhibit any extraordinary haste like the one already exhibited by Khalilzad in talks with Taliban. Pakistan needs be careful in rolling out the red carpets. Please.
It has been observed that proxies and woofers of US in Pakistan have already started mounting the moving float of what they think is politically principled. They are raising questions about nauseatingly repetitive 'good Taliban' and asking who issued travel documents to Taliban negotiators? After all the question is valid, as how the Taliban delegations is visiting Pakistan? And on which country documents?
Of Taliban delegation in Islamabad and their reported meeting with the militia supreme leader Mulla Haibatullah. There are rumors the delegation also called on Khalilzad secretly. Very well. But where? Somebody must tell who other is Khalilzad going to talk to or meet and where? In Pul e Charkhi jail or caves of Paktika or town of Chaman? And be ware that President Trump is not seeking help from Pakistan for to see Mullah Fazlur Rehman or Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Both Trump and Khalilzad are not requesting to be able to negotiate with Afghan Taliban with Pakistan's help. Talks with Taliban members are already there and in mid of current December Khalilzad will again see the militia members probably in Dubai. Its not asking Taliban to set with the US. But indeed convincing the Taliban to talk to Afghan government led by Dr Ashraf Ghani - a proposal Taliban are vehemently denying. The other demand, the US probably have, is forcing Taliban militia to announce immediate ceasefire...as the talks goes on.
The self appointed warriors of political morality who are asking Pakistan to jump the US bandwagon, must understand, if surly they don't know, what is the game plan.
This is the time Pakistani must ask the US and Afghan government to talk straight and put all the cards on the table before going to the room. Past is not a good experience.
Then. As the Taliban delegation is in Pakistan, on what papers? On whose permissions? The US has not yet declare Taliban negotiators as white. And the US is not going to take responsibility for their travel; nor has sought any permission for their travel officially from the UN Security Council. If Washington wants then why the delay? Both things US does not appear to have done and for a good reason perhaps. The trick might be that if talks fail as happened in Murree or QCG in recent past, Pakistan will be there to be whipped, and the likes of Zalmi Khalilzads and Bruce Riedels be unleashed to pounce upon Islamabad for - might be - violating sacrosanct sanctions regime.
Meanwhile, besides Pakistan, Taliban leadership also have to revisit the recent history of direct talks with the US. Zalmi has been re-inducted into the talks after his fateful failure last time, for which he had his bloated ambitiousness only to blame.What is the guarantee that he has been fumigated this time around?
The next point to consider is that the US showed similar eagerness and rush last time when talks were held in Murree where reasonable progress for peace in Afghanistan had become visible.
And,with in days they killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansur in a drone strike. Their doormat in Afghanistan wasted no time to officially complain to Security Council about travel ban violation by Pakistan. US actually shot themselves in the foot by this utterly thoughtless killing as he might have been their last hope for a political settlement in Afghanistan.
Finally they might begin with by asking US to unveil their strategic intent; Does the US want to permanently stay in that country or leave honorably that is with a notion of victory?
Strategic haziness will not work as defeat is staring at Resolute Support Mission right in the face.
-------
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