Negotiating an end to the war in Afghanistan
will require compromises. But which compromises?
What might be sacrificed? Does making a deal
with a conservative religious movement mean
selling out human rights, 
including women’s rights?
Probably the best place to talk about these
questions is Afghanistan’s human rights commission.
Shaharzad Akbar is the head of the commission.
She endorses peace talks with the Taliban
but feels concerned that human rights were
not discussed
in the initial stages of the process.
Our position is that throughout the process
of talks and beyond,
it’s our duty and it’s our mandate 
to stand up for human rights of all Afghans.
That includes rights that 
the Taliban disagree with:
the right to freedom of expression,
women’s rights for political participation,
the whole range of rights for women, for religious
minorities, for non-Muslims.
So, of course there will be contradictions,
there will be difficulty.
It won’t be easy. But our perspective is that
unless we have an opportunity to talk
these things out,
we can’t give up without trying.
We have to have this opportunity to
talk these things out among ourselves as Afghans.
That conversation is going to be hard.
She predicts a wide-ranging negotiation
with the Taliban
that questions the existing government
system.
It’s about the approach;
if their approach is that everything that’s associated
with the past seventeen years
is evil and must be destroyed, 
then they’re not interested in peace.
If our approach is that everything
in the past seventeen years is right,
absolutely right, then that’s not the right approach.
There was corruption, there was injustice,
there were grievances, our justice sector
was weak, a lot went wrong.
There’s the space for this admission on this side.
Is there space for that admission on that side?
That’s the question I think.
Weighing the gains from peace against the
costs of compromise
is always difficult in peace-making, especially in Afghanistan.
Some say a deal with the Taliban is impossible,
just because of their views on women’s rights
and other subjects.
Others say the rising casualties make a deal
to end the bloodshed the very highest priority.
People like Shaharzad see both sides.
It’s one of the toughest
dilemmas in the peace process.
Ultimately, the struggle for women's rights
 in Afghanistan will last for generations.
It’s probably a struggle that her children will inherit.
