The Afghanistan peace process could end over four decades of conflict in the nation that has been mired in coups, civil war and external invasion since 1978. However, this process has recurrently stalled as internal and external factors undermined peace talks, negotiations and agreements. Pakistan’s role in the process has been consequential as its oscillation from spoiler behavior to facilitator and advocate of peace has propelled or hampered progress significantly.

With the signing of a peace agreement between the U.S and the Taliban and the first ever direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, the peace process seems to be coming to a successful close. Still, much needs to be done to understand Pakistan’s role in the Afghanistan peace process in order to mitigate any potential spoiler behavior as the peace process continues, to ensure that it culminates in a concrete peace accord, which would bring lasting peace to the region.

This thesis thus analyzes the role of Pakistan in the process, analyzing its spoiler behavior and the motives behind it, and particularly the reasons for its change in policy as a potential and manifest spoiler to an avid advocate for peace in Afghanistan. Using historical research design as a guiding framework, we analyze past events in this case study of the Afghanistan peace process to understand relevant phenomena and derive conclusions, such as the motives for Pakistan’s behavior and the implications of the change in policy to the Afghanistan peace process and the future of Afghan-Pakistani relations.