Pakistan's prime minister said Tuesday that peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban cannot be succeed without Islamabad's help, a reminder of the leverage the country has because of its historical ties with the group.
The drumbeat about talks has picked up in the recent days, fueled in part by the Afghan President Hamid Karzai's confirmation that his government has had informal discussions with the Taliban on securing peace in the Afghanistan "for quite some time."
Pakistan has offered to facilitate peace talks previously, but Afghanistan is believed to be suspicious of its motives. Pakistan helped the Taliban seize power in Afghanistan in the 1990s and many of the group's senior commanders, including leader Mullah Omar, are believed to be based along Pakistan's rugged border with the Afghanistan.
Many analysts suspect Pakistan would again like to see the Taliban in a position of power in the Afghanistan to act as a counterweight to Islamabad's archenemy, India, in the country. This suspicion has raised questions about how Pakistan would use its influence with the Taliban during any negotiations with the Afghan government.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tried to dispel concerns about the country's role when asked about the Taliban peace talks Tuesday, but also reminded observers of the leverage Pakistan has in the process.
"Look, nothing can happen without us because we are part of the solution. We are not part of the problem," Gilani told reporters while visiting the northwest town of Charsadda.
Many people wonder just how far Pakistan would go to protect its interests
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