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Mar 1, 2012
Posted by Amit Kumar, Ph.D.
1. Has the Taliban truly abided by the three
preconditions for negotiation, namely
renunciation of violence; severance of all ties
with Al-Qaida and its affiliates on both sides
of the Pakistan-Afghan border; and recognition
of the democratic pluralistic nature of the
Afghan Constitution? Can the Taliban give
concrete assurances and guaranties that it will
abide by these conditions in the
future?
2. Whom are the Taliban representing—the
Haqqani Network; the Quetta Shura; the
Hezb-i-Islami; the Taliban as a whole; or the
Pashtun population as a whole?
3. Are the Taliban open to a federal power
sharing structure where they control the
Pashtun dominated provinces in the South and
the East, and the Tajiks and the Uzbeks control
the Tajik and Uzbek dominated provinces in the
North, while the Hazaras control the Hazara
dominated provinces? Will it be at peace with a
strong Afghan National Government which would
be in-charge of National Defense, Foreign
Affairs, and Currency? Will it participate in
the elections for the Afghan National
Assembly?
4. What relationship will the Taliban
interested in having with the US, Pakistan,
India, and Iran during negotiations and after
the withdrawal of all US led ISAF combat
troops? What role does it envisage for these
countries after the withdrawal post
2014?
5. What relationship will the Taliban have with
the Tajik and Uzbek dominated Afghan National
Army and Afghan National Police? What
assurances will it give that it will not
infiltrate either of these law
enforcement/military organizations?
6. Will Taliban support the reintegration of
its foot soldiers into the mainstream of Afghan
life and the reconciliation of its elite
leadership into the Afghan political
structure?
7. Will the Taliban support the economic
development of Afghanistan including foreign
investment by Afghanistan’s neighbors?
8. What role does the Taliban have in mind for
the headless High Peace Council in the
negotiations?
9. Will the Taliban accept multiple parties on
the negotiation table, e.g. the Northern
Alliance, the Hazaras, etc. in addition to the
Afghan National Government, and the
US?
10. Does the Taliban see an end to violence in
war-torn Afghanistan by end-2014, i.e. when the
US led ISAF withdraws its combat
troops?
The views expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center for National Policy.
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