Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has backed peace talks with the Afghan government in a statement released to the media.A message, marking the festival of Eid al-Fitr, made no direct reference to the talks but said Islam did not bar “peaceful interaction” with enemies.The message comes a week after an official government delegation met with senior members of the Taliban in Murree. The meeting was the first time in several years that the two sides have had an official sit-down. It has followed a series of informal meetings since May in China, Qatar and Norway.Consider the several ways in which the Taliban supremo’s cautious, almost veiled endorsement of talks — the statement attributed to Mullah Omar made no mention of the Murree meeting — is still an important milestone. For one, there has been persistent speculation, especially in the IS camp and among Taliban hardline field commanders, that Mullah Omar may not be alive. For another, the recent Taliban-Afghan government interaction in Urumqi was dismissed forcefully by a Taliban spokesperson. In addition, the Afghan Taliban had long rejected the idea of talks with the Afghan government, demanding instead to speak to the American-led occupation force. There is, therefore, at the very minimum, a great deal of interest in Mullah Omar’s statement of support for the idea of talks — this being a radical break from the past. Though a peace can be cobbled together for the Afghan Taliban with Pakistan as mediator, Pakistan’s problems still remain where they are. Reports allege that Mullah Omar is hiding out in Karachi, and with the talks the narrative of “good” versus “bad” Taliban is back. While Mullah Omar is the “good” Taliban, willing to talk, Mullah Fazlullah of the TTP is the “bad”. Pakistan has to make sure that it is- and portrays itself as- a mediator and not a player. The noose around the TTP’s neck must keep getting tighter. We have already fought wars with them and what we have lost to terrorism is immense. Giving the Afghan Taliban space cannot mean that the TTP now have leverage too. The Taliban consider it necessary to try to make inroads into the establishment before ISIS makes them completely irrelevant. And it is time for both the countries to take maximum advantage of this situation.
pk.shafaqna.com
Wary of IS presence, Taliban in hurry to strike peace deal
