Just because the Taliban have denied their role in the recent attack and may not necessarily be behind it doesn't mean they have suddenly become pro-peace good guys. At the end of the day, willingness to pursue peace w/o insisting on dictating their terms is the real benchmark

Tl is full of ppl blaming Ghani all the time. Everyone in Pak is an expert on how bad Ghani is and how he doesn't want peace. Yeh nahin dekhna keh Taliban kaissa system chahtay hain. And that we went through something similar with TTP where we couldn't accept their demands

This isn't to say that Ghani and others in Kabul are angels. They certainly are not. They also blame Pak for everything. So there are definitely problems. But our narrative on Afghanistan is totally one-sided and lacks any nuance, hence badly flawed

It shouldn't be too difficult to understand that just like we didn't want to live under TTP and didn't like the idea of accepting their demands, it's understandable for many Afghans to feel the same about the Afghan Taliban.

This constant bashing of Ghani and others for not being willing to happily go along and make big concessions to Taliban is not rational. If any of us were in Ghani's position, or for that matter, if any of us were an Afghan citizen in Kabul, we would do the same thing

If in their position, we would surely be raising all the questions we used to ask of those in Pakistan who used to insist on talking to TTP. That while the idea of peace talks sounds great, what are Taliban asking for and what concessions will we be required to make

This unwillingness to appreciate the situation in Afghanistan from the POV of someone like us living in Kabul isn't simply an abstract moral issue. It is a failure of analysis which then forms the basis of our Afghan policy. Flawed analysis (typically) leads to flawed policies

Pakistan's primary interest is that there should be a peaceful and stable Afghanistan which isn't unfriendly towards Pakistan. In that context, how does it help to analyze the country irrationally?

It's not that Taliban's advance or the fall/weakening of the current set up will move Afghanistan in such a direction. It will only create more instability and suffering, unless Taliban are willing to moderate themselves significantly. And of that, there's little sign

And if the idea is that somehow Taliban will deliver friendlier Afghanistan that isn't a natural sanctuary for anti-Pakistan activity, then that again isn't grounded in logic or reality

Historically, when the Taliban were in power, they were harbouring sectarian outfits. They also wouldn't recognize the Durand line either.

In recent years too, they have done their share of double dealing. For example when the ISI engineered a split in TTP ranks in early 2014, the Afghan Taliban were trying to broker a reconciliation between them

It's not that they aren't ideological brothers with TTP. So there's no reason for Pakistanis to assume that they will go out of their way to fight TTP elements hiding in territory under their control just for our sake

And above all, given the kind of ideology they espouse, having them next door is inherently a problem. No matter how much we talk about fencing the border etc, we can never shield ourselves totally if we have a large number of extremists across the border

Kabhi na kabhi koi na koi problem hota hee rahay ga. If not TTP, then their links with AQ. If not them, then sectarianism. If not that, then something else.

So in terms of options, Taliban don't really solve Pak's probs in Afgh. So our irrational analysis and approach on the peace process is pointless. We need not fall in 'love' with Ghani, but the way we're constantly bashing him and the Afghan govt all the time is not needed either

Lastly, a lot of ppl ask for alternatives to the peace process. Well if the Taliban aren't willing to moderate themselves, then the peace process isn't going very far. IN which case, there's likely to be more instability and trouble after the US withdrawal

A full blown civil war or Taliban running over the country will be worse than the status quo. So in terms of options, the status quo may well be our best bet.

And while that isn't ideal, Pakistan can live with it as we are doing now. If it requires a continued American presence, that's also something Pak can live with.

In fact Pakistan could stand to lose whatever leverage it has with the US once it's out. At which point, the US will likely go even more pro-India. Pakistan ko US exit ya current talks say koi aissa khaas faida nahin hona jo hum iss peh itnay irrational hoay ja rahay hain