ISLAMABAD — The Afghan Taliban’s silence to the latest offer ofunconditional talks by the Kabul government has raised hopes in Islamabadand Washington the insurgent group may be mulling over joining the peaceprocess. Previous offers of negotiations had been promptly rejected, Voiceof America has reported.

Pakistani military leaders contend their renewed push to bring insurgentsto the table has led to the change in behavior.

A senior military official with direct knowledge of the developments said arecent open letter from the Taliban seeking direct talks with the UnitedStates was also an outcome of Pakistan’s fresh push in partnership withother key stakeholders to try to end the Afghan war.

He spoke to a group of reporters on condition of anonymity.

The path ahead is “fraught with troubles” and requires all stakeholders touse their respective influences to nudge warring Afghan sides to thenegotiating table, he said.

The peace-making effort, he added, is also leading to improvement inIslamabad’s relations with Kabul and Washington.The official explainedPakistani civilian and security institutions, including the spy agency ISI,are in contact and talking to Taliban representatives. “We are sincerelytrying to persuade them” and their allied Haqqani group to join the Afghanreconciliation process, the military official insisted.

But he cautioned “the matters could not be resolved overnight” becausedecades of hostilities have led to an “extremely complex situation” inAfghanistan.

There are groups in the Taliban and some of them are in contact withRussia, some with Iran and some with Pakistan,” the official noted.

Delegates attend the second Kabul Process conference at the PresidentialPalace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2018.

Pakistan maintains security forces have eliminated all militant sanctuarieson its soil, but Taliban insurgents use nearly three million Afghanrefugees as cover and military operations could result in collateral damageand trigger a violent militant backlash.

*No comment yet*

“So far, the stance [regarding Afghan President Ghani’s offer] has not beenshared with me, so I am unable to offer any comments,” Taliban spokesman,Zabihullah Mujahid, has said in response to VOA’s repeated queries.

The Taliban’s reaction to past peace overtures by Kabul had been that itwould join intra-Afghan talks only after all foreign forces leaveAfghanistan.

The insurgent group would also justify its refusal, saying Afghan rulersare “American stooges” and engaging in talks with them would be simply “awaste of time” because they are not authorized by Washington to determinethe fate of “foreign occupation” of Afghanistan.

Ghani’s proposed peace plan, includes removal of the names of Talibanofficials from international blacklists, allowing insurgents to open anoffice in Kabul to pursue their goals through non-violent means and jointhe national political process.

General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistanacknowledged Wednesday he is also detecting signs the Taliban does notintend to reject outright Ghani’s latest offer that is backed by allinternational stakeholders.

“We know a lot is going on right now, I mean, this offer, I think, is beingconsidered [by the Taliban]. We haven’t seen a public response [to thedialogue offer] which is interesting,” the general said in Kabul.

*International efforts*

Nicholson cited wider diplomatic and battlefield pressure on the insurgentsas well as Washington’s ongoing intense dialogue at various levels andcollaboration with Islamabad.

“I think some of the pressure is the U.S. policy putting pressure onPakistan and that pressure is being felt,” the American general noted.

Nicholson described Kabul’s peace overture as a “well thought out plan” andstopped short of rejecting U.S. involvement in peace talks with the Talibanwhile commenting on the group’s open letter to Americans.

“The idea of talking exclusively to the U.S. is not in our approach tothis. We think it is an Afghan-led process,” the general reminded.

“It’s encouraging that these offers are on the table and that we wouldappear to be in a point where they could start having a conversation onthis,” said Nicholson. He cautioned though, peace processes take years toshape up.

Pakistani officials also note an improvement in relations with the Afghangovernment and speak of a better understanding developing between Pakistaniarmy General Qamar Javed Bajwa and President Ghani.

Islamabad’s recent diplomatic engagements with Washington have also startedpaying dividends and allowed the two sides to understand each other’sconcerns stemming from the protracted Afghan hostilities. Last week,Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led a high-level delegation tothe United States and held extensive talks with senior Trump administrationofficials.

Both sides have been tight-lipped about these meetings, though privatelyPakistani officials report “significant” progress. They say in return forIslamabad’s renewed attempts to help start Afghan peace talks, Washingtonhas also begun to accommodate some Pakistani concerns.

Officials cited last week’s U.S. drone strike in an eastern Afghan borderregion that killed 21 militants, including senior commanders, of theoutlawed Pakistani Taliban, which is plotting terrorist attacks againstPakistan. At Islamabad’s persuasion, the U.S. State Department on Fridayoffered a reward of $5 million for information on Mullah Fazlullah, thefugitive chief of the Pakistani Taliban, who is believed to be operatingout of Afghanistan.