October 23, 2019
US was not ready to listen to the name of Taliban, let alone talking to them. Then the time came when the Taliban were willing to talk to USA and were demanding that they would not talk to the Afghan government. Taliban considered Afghan government as puppet and wanted to engage with those having real power. But US refused to talk to them, and rest is just history.
Moreover, restoring peace in Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan, more than anyone else. If peace returns to Afghanistan, Pakistan benefits a lot. Main projects such as TAPI and CASA-1000, cannot be materialized if there is no peace in Afghanistan. So, when peace will return to Afghanistan, these projects will immediately begin, and other economic activities will also commence.
Former Ambassador Ayaz Wazir at CRSS-ASC Quadrilateral Dialogue on September 30, 2019.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
