KABUL: Afghanistan’s president opened a grand council on Monday of more than 3,200 Afghans seeking to agree on a common approach to peace talks with the Taliban, but the gathering may further aggravate divisions within the US-backed government.

President Ashraf Ghani hopes to showcase unity at the four-day meeting known as Loya Jirga that brings together politicians, tribal elders, many prominent figures and others.

But Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, his partner in a unity government brokered by the US after a bitterly disputed election in 2014, heads a list of no-shows.

Former president Hamid Karzai, who also is not attending, said on Monday that holding the council at this time risks “delaying and causing an impediment to the peace process”. He also voiced concern that by sidelining his chief executive, Ghani could trigger suspicion that personal ambitions may have partly driven him to hold the Loya Jirga now. “We are all here to talk about the framework of peace talks with the Taliban ... reaching a sustainable peace is very important to us,” said Mr Ghani in his welcome address to delegates.

Waving a copy of Afghanistan’s constitution, Ghani lauded it as the most Islamic of constitutions, an apparent message to the Taliban who have suggested they want to negotiate articles within the charter, without specifying.

Ahead of the council, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Progra­mme at the Washington-based Wilson Center, said that “if Abdullah and his supporters don’t attend, there’s going to be a glaring absence of key stakeholders that will diminish the event’s credibility in a big way”.

“Given all the divides in Afghanistan, there is as much of a need for reconciliation within Afghanistan as there is for reconciliation with the Taliban,” he added.

Karzai urged the US to do more to press all sides to the table. “We are in a great hurry for peace.” The Loya Jirga, a deeply-rooted tradition aimed at building consensus among Afghanistan’s various ethnic groups, tribes and factions, was intended to strengthen Ghani’s hand but risks being seen as just a gathering of loyalists.

A Taliban official familiar with the talks said the two sides are still haggling over a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, with the Taliban demanding six months and the US seeking 18 months.

Ordinary Afghans, who have endured decades of war, express frustration with both sides.

Hajji Sher Aga, who owns a gas station near Kabul, complained about the lack of security and lawlessness. He blamed widespread government corruption and said peace with the Taliban was the only answer.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2019