Afghan talks hit deadlock
Dear Sir,
The temporary closure of Taliban’s office in Doha within five days of its opening following differences between the Kabul regime and the United States has cut me to the quick.
Kabul seems to feel that the Karzai government has been bypassed in certain issues of sensitive nature, terming the Doha arrangement a “nexus” of Pakistan and America. But the US and Pakistan have categorically stated that that they have no interest in or tilt towards any Afghan faction and treat all of them equally and without any discrimination in order to bring durable peace and stability in the militancy-hit region.
However, the statement of the chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, before a key panel of US Senate that America could not defeat Al Qaeda without Pakistan’s support and its success in Afghanistan is closely linked to Islamabad’s sincere co-operation, has added to the worries of those who are at the helm of affairs in the Afghan capital.
But despite all these annoyances and grievances by the Afghan government, Pakistan is in close contact with the Karzai government to push the Doha process forward, bringing all the real stakeholders to the negotiating table. Pakistani prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, visited Kabul this week and held in-depth discussions with Afghan officials on issues ranging from Doha talks to any possible future set-up in Afghanistan.
He also invited President Karzai, on behalf of the Pakistani premier, to visit Pakistan but the latter has conditionally refused to travel to Islamabad. Nonetheless, Pakistan is still in favour of fruitful and productive Doha talks to end acrimony and terrorist attacks on the soil of Afghanistan which have also badly affected Pakistan internal scenario.
The United States and Qatar have also intensified efforts to end the deadlock in the parleys between the two major stakeholders and resume the process so that a broad-based government representing all Afghan groups is in place in Kabul before the US exit from the region by 2014.
Guldar Ali Khan Wazir, guldarali@gmail.com
The quest for happiness
Dear Sir,
I am so happy to learn that Qatar’s residents are among the happiest in the region (Gulf Times, July 23). But what is happiness, please?
The human race, since time immemorial, has sought the meaning of happiness and ways to achieve it. I am glad that the quest for happiness has finally been successful: it is to be in Qatar.
MN, (Full name and e-mail address supplied)
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