So how much influence does Pakistan have on Taliban?

March 04, 2016 16:43

Sartaj Aziz's CFR interaction, referred to earlier here, also had an interesting bit about the extent of influence Pakistan can exert on the Taliban.

Pakistan's Dawn newspaper quotes Aziz from the interaction on the subject: 'Before the 7th July (reconciliation) meeting (in Murree) last year, we had to use some of these levers and restricted their movements, restricted their access to hospital and other facilities, and threatened them that if you do not come forward and talk.'

'(We) then obviously (said) we will at least expel you, or give you the chance to go wherever you want to, because we have hosted you enough for 35 years. We can't do any more. Now the whole world is blaming us just for your presence here.'

'So that is the kind of leverage we have to bring them to the table. But to pressurise them, to negotiate, will depend on the parties, which are actually negotiating.'

However, he also clarified that Pakistan had a limited role.

'We can advise the Afghan government, if they want our advice, on what might be acceptable and so on and so forth, but in this task I think, and according to the roadmap, all three of us have to share that advice - US, Pakistan, and China -- so that we collectively decide what is best.'

'I don't think we are in the stage where actual negotiation strategy, etc. Right now the idea is to bring them to the table.'

'If you are not serious about reconciliation, then Taliban won't come.'

Also, even 'in the best of times,' they did not listen to Pakistan always, whether it was the Bamiyan statues or many other things, the Dawn quotes him as saying.

'They would listen to us when it suited them, otherwise they did not.'

You can read the full report here.

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