Afghanistan peace process will be long and tough

Afghanistan’s peace process will be long and tough, experts of the country said on Wednesday.

The first face-to-face talks between Afghan government and Taliban representatives took place in Pakistan earlier this month, and both sides agreed to hold a second round of talks by the end of this month.

The experts said the Afghan government and the Taliban have significant differences on a few issues, and one of the most important ones is women’s rights. Women were forbidden to receive education, to work, or to become government officials when the Taliban held power. After the group stepped down, women in the country were allowed to enter various fields.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar said in an Eid al-Fitr speech that the Taliban will not change its policy on women’s rights.

Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), a non-governmental organization promoting women’s rights in the country, had a meeting with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to express its concern.

“We said we do not want women’s rights to be sacrificed for peace. And, he promised us that he will never sacrifice women’s rights in bringing peace,” said Hasina Safi, AWN executive director.

In addition, the Islamic State in Pakistan, or Daish, has also become a threat to the peace process, said political analyst Haroun Mir.

“ISIS itself becomes a warning for Taliban. And, for example, in the east in Nangarhar, they were able to kick out Taliban from some of the districts. That is also a danger for [the] peace process, because I don’t think that all Taliban would agree with the peace process. Some of the field commanders, they might refuse, and then they could become members of Daish,” he said.