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Afghan President Demands Pakistan Take Military Action Against Taliban Afghan President Demands Pakistan Take Military Action Against Taliban
(about 13 hours later)
KABUL, Afghanistan — After courting Pakistan for more than a year, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan changed course on Monday and warned that he would lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council if Pakistan refuses to take military action against Taliban leaders operating from its soil to wage an increasingly deadly insurgency across Afghanistan.KABUL, Afghanistan — After courting Pakistan for more than a year, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan changed course on Monday and warned that he would lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council if Pakistan refuses to take military action against Taliban leaders operating from its soil to wage an increasingly deadly insurgency across Afghanistan.
Mr. Ghani has taken pains to persuade Pakistan’s leadership, particularly its powerful military, to bring the insurgent leaders to the negotiating table. But an increase in Taliban violence, including a brutal attack last week in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, that left at least 64 people killed and more than 300 wounded, has forced Mr. Ghani to effectively end what has been a cornerstone effort of his troubled presidency. Mr. Ghani has tried to persuade Pakistan’s leadership, particularly its powerful military, to bring the insurgent leaders to the negotiating table. But an increase in Taliban violence, including a brutal attack last week in the heart of Kabul that killed at least 64 people and wounded more than 300, has forced the Afghan president to effectively end the negotiations, which have been a cornerstone effort of his troubled time in office.
“I want to make it clear that we do not expect Pakistan to bring the Taliban to talks,” Mr. Ghani said on Monday in a rare joint session of the two houses of the Afghan Parliament. “I want to make it clear that we do not expect Pakistan to bring the Taliban to talks,” Mr. Ghani said Monday in a rare joint session of the two houses of the Afghan Parliament. “If we do not see a change, despite our hopes and efforts for regional cooperation, we will be forced to turn to the U.N. Security Council and launch serious diplomatic efforts.”
He said that in quadrilateral talks over the past year that involved the United States and China, Pakistan had pledged “in writing” to go after Taliban leaders who refuse to join the peace process. In quadrilateral talks over the past year that also involved the United States and China, Pakistan had pledged “in writing” to go after Taliban leaders who refused to join the peace process, Mr. Ghani said.
“We want the Pakistanis to fulfill their promises in the quadrilateral and take military action against those who have their centers in Pakistan and whose leaders are in Pakistan based on our security organizations, the intelligence of our international partners, and the words of Pakistan officials,” Mr. Ghani said. That is what Mr. Ghani said he has asked Pakistan to do: “Take military action against those who have their centers in Pakistan.”
“If we do not see a change, despite our hopes and efforts for regional cooperation, we will be forced to turn to the U.N. Security Council and launch serious diplomatic efforts.” Despite promises from Pakistan to bring Taliban leaders to talks in the hopes of ending the long conflict, the peace efforts seem to have gone nowhere. The insurgency has begun another spring offensive, which promises to be bloodier than in years past.
Despite repeated promises from Pakistan to bring Taliban leaders to talks, the peace efforts seem to have gone nowhere, with the insurgency using the window to consolidate after infighting emerged in the ranks and launch another spring offensive promising to be bloodier than in years past. Unlike previous years, the violence did not subside even in the harsh winter months. In his address on Monday, Mr. Ghani broke with the former administration’s tactic of describing the Taliban as discontented brothers in the hopes of urging them to talks. Mr. Ghani called the insurgents terrorists who “take pleasure in the torn-up bodies of our innocents,” and their leaders “slavelike” and involved in narcotics mafias. He also declared the end of “amnesty without cause” for arrested Taliban, many of whom had in the past returned to the battlefield after release from prisons.
In his address on Monday, Mr. Ghani called the insurgents terrorists who “take pleasure in the torn-up bodies of our innocents,” and their leaders “slavelike” and involved in narcotics mafias. The Taliban were quick to respond; a spokesman posted messages on Twitter during Mr. Ghani’s address.
But the Taliban were quick to respond; their spokesmen posted on Twitter live during Mr. Ghani’s address. “The nation is not blind — it realizes who is a slave, and who is a hireling,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, posting a picture of senior government officials listening to the former commander of NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell. “We will continue fighting until the occupation is ended.”
“The nation is not blind — it realizes who is a slave, and who is a hireling,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, posting a picture of senior government officials listening to the former commander of NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell. “We will continue fighting until the occupation is ended.” Although the door for peace talks is not completely shut, officials now say Mr. Ghani, under enormous pressure because of stagnation on every other front, was forced to take a tougher stance as Pakistan repeatedly failed to fulfill promises. Mr. Ghani’s advisers are nevertheless encouraged that during the quadrilateral process, Pakistan has come out of a long-held denial about Taliban sanctuaries on its soil, both in private discussions as well as in public.
Satraj Aziz, the adviser on foreign policy to Pakistan’s prime minister, said last month that his country had influence over the Taliban, but not control.
“We have some influence on them because their leadership is in Pakistan, and they get some medical facilities, their families are here,” he said. “So we can use those levers to pressurize them to say, Come to the table.”
Haroun Mir, a political analyst based in Kabul, said he did not see Afghanistan capable of rallying the kind of international pressure to isolate Pakistan, which has displayed more skill at dealing with such pressures in the past.
“The fact that this process occurred in the presence of China and the United States, at least these two nations will now know that Afghanistan tried with honesty,” Mr. Mir said. “Whether the capacity is there to follow up — that is early to tell.”