- Not just recent attacks, but reticence about responsibility, bode ill
The signing of a peace deal between the USA and the Taliban should have moved Afghanistan, which has been in conflict ever since the 1978 Soviet invasion, towards peace. But two recent attacks show that the deal is all but dead, especially with the prior failure of the government and Taliban to carry out the prisoner swap that was to have paved the way for the talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban which would have led to a comprehensive settlement. The suicide blast at the funeral prayers of the police chief of Nangarhar and the attack by armed gunmen on a Kabul Hospital’s maternity ward both took place on Tuesday morning, took 24 and 25 lives respectively, causing the Ashraf Ghani government to announce a resumption of the offensive against the Taliban. The Taliban have made a belligerent response, saying they are nothing loath.
The women, newborns and nurses killed in the Kabul attack have not had anyone own responsibility, and seems intended merely to spread terror. If it is an attempt by other groups to sabotage the peace process, it is not clear whether the objection is to the peace process, or to being excluded from it. Thus three natural suspects emerge: the Kabul government or elements of the Taliban, or other militant groups, like ISIS. The Kabul government will have to be reined in by the Americans, who are the ones needing the deal; the Taliban negotiators must ensure that they can deliver on any promises, and any third party should be dealt with condignly, by both the Kabul government and the Taliban themselves. Pakistan can do nothing more than help find out who was responsible, and pass that information on. At most, it can use its good offices in getting the deal back on track, but it should not think it can do so without all players being on board. That is how the initial deal came about. The cost of continued conflict is much too high for not just Afghanistan, but also Pakistan. That should guide our policymakers in dealing with this issue.