OVER the past few months, US Special Representatives for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad is visiting Pakistan and discussing with Pakistan’s military leadership matters pertaining to regional stability and ongoing Afghan peace process. He called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa the other day and held discussion on regional security, the Afghan peace process and border management. Khalilzad appreciated Pakistan’s efforts aimed at restoring peace to Afghanistan.
The US point-man on Afghanistan is coming to Islamabad every month since September and holds discussion with Pakistan’s military leadership on progress in Afghan peace process. In the last month meeting, he was accompanied by the Commander Resolute Support Force, General Austin Scott Miller. In October, Khalizad had expressed anguish over the distressingly high level of violence in Afghanistan and cautioned that it could derail the ongoing peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban. In a statement issued in Washington, Ambassador Khalizad said,” Unfortunately charges of violation and inflammatory rhetoric do not advance peace”. He had urged for strict adherence to all articles of US-Taliban Doha agreement and US-Afghanistan Joint Declaration, which envisage commitment to gradually reduce violence. His warning came after the Taliban offensive against Afghan government forces in Helmund Province. The fighting around the capital Lashkargah compelled 35,000 civilian to flee from the city. It also roused anger among the people to take up arms for self defence.
The Afghan stakeholders involved in peace process have so for demonstrated an oblivious attitude towards the genocide of innocent people by ISIS Khorasan. They are attacking mosques and educational institutions of particular community in the Afghan Capital Kabul. The Hazara community is the victim of ethnic cleansing. A massive suicide bombing outside the Kawsar-e-Danish Education Center in west Kabul on October 24; killed 30 students in the age group of 15-26 years, and injured more than 70 people. The ISIS had claimed the responsibility of the attack. Two gunmen of the same terrorist organisation stormed the Kabul University Campus on November 2, took several students hostage and battled with security forces for hours during which 22 students were killed and 22 were wounded.
