An agenda for Afghan peace talks

February 01, 2012 15:17

Former diplomat MK Bhadrakumar writes on his blog on rediff.com that the reform of Afghanistan's political system is integral to any durable settlement.

'There is much to be said in favour of the initiative taken by US congressman Dana Rohrabacher. A parliamentary system based on proportional representation provides the check and balance preventing an outright Taliban takeover,' he writes.

But, the hitch seems to be that 'the team put together by the late Richard Holbrooke comprises seasoned 'Afghan hands' who have come out of the wood work of the Afghan jihad of the 1980s and are still wedded to cold-war mindset. They feel uncomfortable with non-Pashtun groups whom they see as proxies of Russia and Iran. They would rather flesh out a peace deal with Pakistan's cooperation and keep things strictly under wraps that way.'

Read him here.

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