Karzai seen as too 'unpredictable': Pakistan critical of Afghan peace efforts

Pakistan, seen as critical to efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, is finding it difficult to work with President Hamid Karzai due to mistrust and is reaching out to others to advance the peace process, senior Foreign Ministry officials say.
"Right now, Karzai is the biggest impediment to the peace process," a top Foreign Ministry official told Reuters. "In trying to look like a saviour, he is taking Afghanistan straight to hell."
Either way, officials say they are discouraged by what they call Karzai's erratic statements and provocations, apparently designed to make him appear more decisive at home in dealing with the unpopular war, now in its 12th year.
"I have absolutely no doubt that there will be complete chaos in Afghanistan if a settlement is not reached by 2014," said the official. "Afghanistan will erupt. And when that happens, Pakistan will have to pay." Aziz Khan, a former Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, said it was not right to pin all the blame on Karzai.
"Everyone is hedging their bets at this point: the Pakistanis, the US, the Afghan government and the Taliban," he said. "No one has been clear about what they want in Afghanistan." Although Pakistan will maintain contacts with Karzai, it is stepping up engagements with opposition figures, the Taliban, Washington and other parties to promote reconciliation, Foreign Ministry officials said.
"There is no other option but reconciliation - with or without Karzai," said the top Foreign Ministry official. "If he continues to be this stubborn, him and his High Peace Council will naturally be sidelined." A second senior Pakistani Foreign Ministry official cited several examples of how Karzai has blocked peace efforts. At a conference in January, for example, Karzai insisted there would be no more "back door" peace contacts. The official also accused Karzai of delaying the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar that could be used in the reconciliation efforts. He did not say why.
Afghan officials say Karzai is fully committed to the peace process, but wants to ensure it is Afghan-driven.
Responding to the accusation that Karzai is an obstacle to peace, an Afghan government official said: "We totally reject this. It is a baseless allegation."