So once again it’s all about the Paradigm shift from Gaza to Kabul. My sources in Islamabad say that last month after Doha talks It looked as if Washington, Kabul, Islamabad and even Beijing, Tehran as well as Moscow were close to reaching and agreeing on a peaceful agreement through which Beijing and Islamabad, in particular, thought that they would kick out Delhi. The situation is now back to square one. One main reason is that Washington linked their withdrawal from Kabul to having a base, either land or air, in Pakistan because because of their previous experience from the time when after the US exited Afghanistan, it became the hub of all sorts of terrorist organisations including the Punjabi Taliban and IS.
We already saw Ghani government being very critical of the role of Islamabad, but now the traditional ally ie the Doha based Taliban also reacted on the news that Pakistan also provided the base to Washington.
One thing is very much clear: that the Doha based Taliban are not the sole representatives of Afghan Taliban. One strong section on the frontline are now closely working with IS or Al Qaeda. And the latest figure from the past few months state that Taliban made over 3000 attacks.
Therefore, the situation is peculiarly complex and boiling. So, everybody is eying at their own interests. They believe that status quo is the need of the hour.
