For the last few years, the informal Russia-China-Pakistan “axis” active in Afghanistan has been steadily advancing towards ensuring the principal role for itself in determining the future course of the unstable country and in the neighbourhood. By designating the Taleban as “legitimate stakeholders”, the group's purported goal is to persuade the terrorist organisation to fall in line and enter peace negotiations with their sworn enemy—the elected government headed by President Ashraf Ghani—so that hostilities cease and the country is reset on the road to recovery, reconstruction and development. However, the path to peace, stability and prosperity continues to be intractable as, behind the facade of a common agenda, the axis powers are busy advancing their respective interests.
