In a recent article titled 'Talking With the Enemy," senior Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai argued that the U.S. media reports about peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are incorrect, and observed that the Western media reports about the so-called talks are part of a psychological campaign launched by the U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan "to create confusion in the ranks of the Taliban." However, he added, the Taliban too have discussed some ideas regarding their position vis-à-vis that of the Afghan government, and a seven-point wish list has been prepared by the Taliban in this regard.
Yusufzai is a senior Pakistani journalist and has covered Taliban-related developments in the Pakistani tribal region for several decades. He is currently Resident Editor of the Pakistani daily The News in Peshawar,
Following are some excerpts from Yusufzai's article:[1]
"No Talks Were Held [with the Taliban] and None Are in Sight, At Least For the Time Being"
"It has now become obvious that the claims by the U.S. authorities that they were facilitating talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban weren't true. Government spokesmen in Washington and military commanders in Afghanistan were so persistent in making such claims that many people all over the world started believing that the long-awaited negotiations for peacefully ending the conflict had finally begun.
"No talks were held and none are in sight, at least for the time being. Sections of the media, particularly in the U.S., faithfully reported the claims about the nonexistent talks without bothering to check the facts. The U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus was the first to make such claims, apparently as part of psychological warfare to create confusion in Taliban ranks and prepare the ground for triggering defections from the group.
"Together with his claim about giving safe passage to Taliban commanders to Kabul to hold talks with the government of President Hamid Karzai, he was also claiming success on the battlefront by arguing that his strategy to reverse the Taliban momentum was working, particularly in the strategic and politically important Kandahar province as a result of the recent military operations…"
"[The] Military Operation In and Around Kandahar City Has Inflicted Damage Upon the Taliban… However, the Taliban Bounced Back"
"As the situation in Afghanistan is entering a critical phase ahead of the July 2011 timeline given by President Barack Obama for beginning the withdrawal of some American troops from Afghanistan, the pressure on General Petraeus is mounting to show results in the fight against the resurgent Taliban. Petraeus has been pursuing an aggressive military campaign against the Taliban since he replaced the disgraced General Stanley McChrystal more than five months ago.
"It is true that the military operation in and around Kandahar city has inflicted damage upon the Taliban and forced them to retreat. The efforts to secure Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban and their spiritual capital, is important as Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and his fighters had been posing a threat to the city and preventing the population from making the choice whether to side with the Taliban or throw in their lot with the Afghan government and its foreign patrons.
"However, the Taliban bounced back from a similar situation in neighboring Helmand province in the spring of this year when a big military push by around 25,000 NATO and Afghan troops in the small farming district of Marja forced them into retreat. They are again active in Marja and causing harm to foreign and Afghan forces and could make a similar comeback in Kandahar."
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"The Arrival of Winter is Certainly Going to Cause Reduction in Violence and Provide an Opportunity to the Combatants Not Only to Regroup But Also To Review Their Strategies"
"The fighting nowadays is fierce in parts of Afghanistan due to the new NATO military operations and the rise in Taliban attacks, but the arrival of winter is certainly going to cause reduction in violence and provide an opportunity to the combatants not only to regroup but also to review their strategies. They would also want to formulate their next moves on the political front at a time when there is much talk about holding talks to end the Afghan conflict.
"The U.S. and its allies have already set the conditions for talks with elements of the Taliban by demanding that they renounce violence, accept Afghanistan's constitution and delink from Al-Qaeda. President Karzai has been given the green signal to talk to those Taliban who accept these conditions and also pursue the goals of his reintegration policy that basically aim at buying off commanders and fighters linked to the armed opposition groups.
"However, the U.S. has drawn some 'red lines' and instructed President Karzai to keep Mullah Omar and certain other top Taliban figures and also former mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar out of the negotiation process as these men still figure high on its 'terrorist' list. This effectively means not talking to armed Afghan opposition leaders who really matter and without whose participation no political process for ending the conflict could achieve success."
"A Seven-Point 'Wish-List' is Said to Be Under Consideration" By the Taliban
"The Taliban leadership too has reportedly been discussing its future course of action in view of the developments in Afghanistan. It hasn't articulated the Taliban roadmap for the future, but there are reports that a list of demands is being debated that could be put forward in case they become involved in a political process in future.
"A seven-point 'wish-list' is said to be under consideration and could become the basis of the Taliban position in peace talks. The recently formed High Council for Peace led by former Afghan President Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani has been asking the Taliban to present their demands to it, but the latter have rejected the council and refused to interact with it and also with President Karzai's government until the foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan.
"The seven demands in the Taliban 'wish-list' are as follows:
"(a) All prisoners at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay should be released;
"(b) The names of all Taliban figures should be removed from the UN 'blacklist';
"(c) The Taliban Islamic Movement should be formally recognized as a legitimate political party and allowed to work in Afghanistan;
"(d) A timeframe for withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces from Afghanistan should be announced and it should be proven through actions that the foreigners were sincere in implementing it. The timeframe for pulling out foreign troops from Afghanistan should be two months;
"(e) Military operations by foreign forces and the Afghan government should come to an end and all sides to the conflict should agree to a ceasefire;
"(f) All political prisoners in Afghanistan including those in the Bagram, Kandahar and other airbases under control of U.S.-led coalition forces should be freed;
"(g) Islamic Shari'a should become the law of the land and the system of justice in place of the existing constitution of Afghanistan.
"It is understood that some of these Taliban demands have come up in different forms and at various forums earlier. It isn't the official Taliban position yet and could be altered in case a political process was launched…"
"The Taliban are also hinting at reforming some of their harsh practices and accommodating all ethnic and political groups in a national government if they recapture power. This is something that didn't happen when they were in power the last time and it is difficult to believe the Taliban in view of their past record of exercising absolute power.
"The 'wish-list' makes no mention of Al-Qaeda. It is clear that the Taliban aren't ready at this stage to accept the demand by the U.S. and its allies to end their contacts with Al-Qaeda…"
[1] The News (Pakistan), November 2, 2010.
