Conditional Willingness of Afghan Taliban for Talks

Expressing conditional readiness for holding talks with the Ashraf Ghani government, the Afghan Taliban said that the talks could be held only within the bounds of Shariah law. According to Afghan media, Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy emir of the Taliban, said in his audio message that the Taliban are willing to talk, provided the talks are held within the bounds of Shariah law, and have even designated a delegation for the talks. Why would we designate a delegation, he asked, if we were not in favor of talks?

In his audio message, the Haqqani network leader further said that international powers have imposed a puppet administration on the Afghan people, and they are asking us to also become a part of this administration. However, we cannot become a part of it because the Kabul government is totally powerless and cannot take action on any decision.

Since Sirajuddin Haqqani is also the deputy emir of the Taliban, it is thought that his positive attitude toward talks is supported by Taliban Emir Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada. Nevertheless, by including the condition that the talks be within the bounds of Shariah law, he seems to be trying to give the impression that his stance is different from those of previous Taliban leaders. He describes the present Afghan government as a puppet; his fears seem to be that this government will not be able to act on the decisions reached during the talks.

It is doubtless true that the present Afghan government can apparently take only those steps for which it has the approval of the United States. In effect then, behind the front of the Afghan government it is really the U.S. that is desirous of talks. This much is clear: if discussions do take place now or later, the responsibility for taking action on the decisions will not be solely that of the Taliban or the Afghan government, but will rest also with the U.S., China and Pakistan.

It is unlikely that Sirajuddin Haqqani's audio statement will necessarily bring the parties to the discussion table shortly or that talks will be taking place soon. Under current circumstances, with tense relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan will certainly be unwilling to use its influence to bring the Afghan Taliban to the discussion table. Until action is taken against Mullah Fazlullah and his group, Pakistan appears unwilling to undertake any new endeavor for the discussions. The tension between Kabul and Islamabad in connection with Torkham also needs to be resolved.

In any case, if Sirajuddin Haqqani has indeed expressed willingness for talks, this is a satisfying development. It is noteworthy that while his statement comments on the weakness of the Kabul administration, it includes no condition regarding the withdrawal of foreign forces. This change in the attitude of the Afghan Taliban is certainly startling.