Pakistan arrests halt secret UN contacts with Taliban

Mr Eide can take all the taliban leaders to Norway and do as many “muzakarat” as he want or alternatively UN is welcome to take all the Taliban leaders to their headquarters in NY and do “khOOfia mazakarat”. Or just take them to Kabul for this purpose.

fk UN. THEY allowed US to do all this mess and now they want to cut and run when due to this mess Pakistan is burning. Because their @$$ was not bombed for last 4/5 years by Taliban/Alqeeda, They now want to wrap it all up and run away.

If pakistan does not catch them we hear “you are not doing much” songs and if we catch them, we hear “you are doing TOO MUCH” song … All they want is peace at Pakistan’s cost. Like ok DO whatever you want to in Pakistan but leave us alone …


BBC News - Pakistan arrests halt secret UN contacts with Taliban

The UN’s former envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has strongly criticised Pakistan’s recent arrest of high-ranking Taliban leaders. Mr Eide told the BBC the arrests had completely stopped a channel of secret communications with the UN.

Pakistani officials insist the arrests were not an attempt to spoil talks.
Mr Eide confirmed publicly for the first time that his secret contacts with senior Taliban members had begun a year ago. This has to be an Afghan process
Kai Eide

He said they involved face-to-face talks in Dubai and elsewhere.

“The first contact was probably last spring, then of course you moved into the election process where there was a lull in activity, and then communication picked up when the election process was over, and it continued to pick up until a certain moment a few weeks ago,” he said.

Mr Eide said there were now many channels of communication with the Taliban, including those involving senior representatives of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Speaking at his home outside the Norwegian capital Oslo, Mr Eide would not comment on these other channels.

‘Red lines’
Mr Eide described contacts with the Taliban as being “in the early stages… talks about talks”.

RECENT TALIBAN ARRESTS
04 March 2010: Senior Afghan Taliban leader Agha Jan Mohtasim reportedly arrested in Karachi
23 February: Senior Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Kabir reportedly held in North West Frontier Province
19 February: Two senior Afghan Taliban leaders, Mullah Abdul Salam and Mullah Mir Mohammad reportedly detained in Pakistan
17 February: Pakistan confirms arrest of Afghan Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Karachi
He cautioned that it would take weeks, months or even longer to establish confidence, on both sides, to move forward, and to establish the “red lines” in any process.
A senior Afghan adviser to President Karzai recently told me that their contacts with the Taliban had also accelerated in recent months. He also said the arrests had affected this process.
There has been intense speculation about why Pakistan moved against what are believed to be about a dozen leading members of the Taliban movement in recent weeks.
“The effect of [the arrests], in total, certainly, was negative on our possibilities to continue the political process that we saw as so necessary at that particular juncture,” Mr Eide said.
“The Pakistanis did not play the role that they should have played… They must have known who they were, what kind of role they were playing, and you see the result today.”
In an interview this week, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Gen Athar Abbas, denied Pakistan had moved against these Taliban to stop any talks.
US officials have recently praised what they called a new co-operation by Pakistan.
‘Senior figures’
Mr Eide was giving his first interview since ending his two-year mission this month.
Asked how high up his contacts were, Mr Eide said: “We met senior figures in the Taliban leadership and we also met people who have the authority of the Quetta Shura to engage in that kind of discussion.”
The Taliban leadership council, often referred to as the Quetta Shura, takes its name from the Pakistani city of Quetta where senior Taliban are widely believed to have been based. Pakistan denies its existence in Quetta and says Taliban leaders go back and forth across their porous border.
As for the involvement of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, Mr Eide said: “I find it unthinkable that such contact would take place without his knowledge and also without his acceptance.”
His revelations seem to confirm a growing view that at least certain members of the Taliban movement are now open to discussing a negotiated end to the war. But Mr Eide said he believed there were still disagreements.
There is also still no consensus among Afghanistan and its foreign allies about if, and how, to engage with a movement many of whose senior members are still linked to al-Qaeda.
The outgoing UN envoy, whose tenure was marked by controversy over a deeply tainted presidential election, said he hoped the upcoming “peace jirga” called by President Karzai in Kabul would help build the kind of agreement necessary to reach a consensus on the way forward.
Mr Eide said he believed it was the only way to end the war, and stressed: “This has to be an Afghan process.”

Re: Pakistan arrests halt secret UN contacts with Taliban

Good points DC.

If this guy wants Talibotics, he should take them to Norway. We don't want them to use Karachi as yet another joke of negotiations.

Bunch of constipated conspiracy theories by yet another so called UN negotiator. No different than the other loser hans blix.

These UN leaders have lost all the shame.

So if Pakistan does not arrest Talibotics, then the UN is angry
And
If Pakistan does arrest Talibotics, then again the UN is angry.

Make up your mind guys.

This exactly shows the dubble morale of our pakistani agencies/goverment. They kept them for year hidden and when they wanted to talk to Karzai they ditched them. All in name of influence and strategic depth. Is the killing of thousand pakhtuns on both side not enough? Why should any muslim country jeopardize peace in another muslim country? I think that the pakistani people want peace in their neighbouring country but the rulers(whose muslim faith is questionable) just dance to the order of their supreme commanders.

Burqa wrora: I understand that Talibotics(as you call them) are responsible for horrific things but we all know that there is always two sides to the story. The goverment, the agencies and the Americans are I guess not better than the talibs. They all want the fight to go on. And we as people pay the price!

Re: Pakistan arrests halt secret UN contacts with Taliban

It's called the Game it's bigger then our thoughts, the mullah captured from Karachi and then two governors from Faisalabad were the middle link for talks with West (Nato, UN). After our Intelligence services got them, now they are controlling the talks and ensuring Pakistan stakes are well established in any withdrawal or permanent stay of West in Afghanistan.

Bravo to Intelligence Services, but again we should also learn the lesson from our previous mistakes in Afghanistan. Granted Pakistan want influence in Afghanistan but instead of treating them as our fifth province we should deal the Afghans with dignity & respect !

exactly.

And if Pakistanis want to support Afghanistanis, then they should stop the flow of Talibots,

and instead

send in our young teachers, doctors, engineers who should (if possible) do as much of volunteer work as possible.

Afghanistanis themselves may not have evolved to a level where they could take care of their own government.,

But Pakistanis should avoid making Afghanistani life anymore difficult that what it is now.

Strategic depth is good, but it should be linked with strategic love and care and compassion (instead of death, murder, and killing).

it is the same like with OUR own personal friends.

We would appreciate a friend who is honest and truly wanting to help us much more that a friend who only has his own matlab.

I like the notion of strategic love put forward by our brother Burqa. Working towards a peacefull and prosperous region should be our goal.

I hope that Pakistan seizes this opportunity to breng peace in their neighbouring country. This will strengthen the brotherhood for ages and these countries will become a joint power.

But I am quite pessimistic that history is going to repeat itself. Different and competing interests will once again plunge Afghanistan into chaos. Russia, Iran and India on one side, Pakistan, saudi arabia and pakhtuns on the other side. Would we be then also proud of our intellegence agencies? When innocent people get killed and women get raped? Would we bravo them when Pakistan once again gets to deal with the backlash?

Re: Pakistan arrests halt secret UN contacts with Taliban

^ that's a right equation: Pakistan, Pustoon population but their is a change, mentality of people of Pakistan are changing for religious organizations and extreme version of Islam imported from Saudia. Also add China & Iran !

Other Parties: Rest Russia, India and west will try create their own influence...

Both are only partialy right on this count.
Rumore of impending arrest of baradar from pakistan was floating around days before he was actually aressted from karachi (search bbc from feb'10). Karzai & co. had been secretly negotiating with the afg. talibans. Baradar had been to kabul for negotiation with the alleged blessing from mullah omar ( which makes sense because it is unlikely baradar will act on his own and survive). ISI did not like being out of the loop and hence removed baradar from the scene.
Pakistan is asked to do more because it is an open screret that Quetta Shura is hiding in pakistan with the protection of ISI.
As far as ISI playing the great game is concerned, i think they are over estimating their strength and punching above their weight. Is nt pak in a mess because of this elusive strategic depth? By playing this game again not only the people of FATA will be made miserable and hate pakistan more but also the afghan wont have any less hatred. Already there is a chasm beteen north/west afghans and the pashtuns. If ISI contunies on this hair-brained path, we might a have an independent "pashtunistan" on wester border.

Bhai,

There are many many conspiracy theories. Because who wouldn't love a good juicy and spicy theory.

Mullah B's arrest is also producing a lot stories and many of them are being used to malign Pakistan.

Just think. If Mullah B was in Kabul negotiating with Kari, then what the heck was he doing in Karachi? Buying paan chalia?

And if he was in Karachi, how come such a big fish was able to travel without proper approval from ISI if ISI is such a big spy master.

This whole tamasha is a lot more chaotic than what ISI can control or orchestrate.

The bottom line is that Talibots want to run things at their own in Af and in Pak.

And both countries are trying to reign them in.

What gives credence to the above** rumore/theory/fact is that when taken with UN reps statement it makes sense, **also it was known that Baradar would get arrested before it happened! As far as Baradar being in karachi is concerned, he could be there instead of Quetta to avoid precisely the same thing, his arrest.

Bahi,

I am just pointing to the simple fact.

If UN is good with Mullah B,
If F-ghan Kharazi is good with Mullah B,

And Mullah B knows ISI is not happy with him,

Then why the heck he would be in Pakistan? (period). He should have been with Karazai or Hans Blix to begin with.

Got it?

Suppose (Allah maaf kuray), that if you were being traced by S. Africa,
But you are loved by Nigeria, and Sierra Leon.

Then where would you be? In Nigeria, Sierra Leon, or you would take a plane ticket and show up in JoBurg?

Buqra bhai,

I will tell you why Mullah B was in Karachi and not in Kabul,

Because most of the Talibs are ISI thugs. There testicles are in ISI's hand. ISI have given them places to hide. Mullah B and Mullah O are all living somewhere in Pakistan. Taliban have never been independent in their politics. They do whatever is told to them and when they decide something for themselves(like trying not to Kill former president dr. Najibullah and instead trying him fro war crimes) ISI disposes of those so called leaders. People in Pakistan think that pakhtuns love talibs, we really hate them. They haven't brought us any good. And that hate is growing day by day. But be aware that hate is not only growing against Talibs but also against people who support them.(maybe enemies of pakistan want this hate and tension to grow!!)
Reading the news in the last couples of days one gets more insight in why this fight is not going anyware after 8 long years:

The US, ISI, Talibs don't want peace. It is indead a shameful game, don't dare to call it THE GREAT GAME. There is nothing great about it when innocent people get slaughtered just for dollars.