In this season's very first episode, Professor Raghav Sharma and Mahita hosted Dr. Omar Sharifi, an esteemed cultural anthropologist and professor at the American university of Afghanistan. Dr. Sharifi has lived his entire life in Afghanistan, witnessing several turbulent changes through the civil war and the Taliban regime. He talked to us about what peace means to him, and how he envisages the intra-Afghan peace talks to play out. The Afghan Peace Process has proceeded in fits and starts since February 2020, following the 'peace deal' inked with between the US and the Taliban after nineteen years of war. The US initiative was widely critiqued as the Afghan government was marginalised in the process, troop withdrawal was predicated on political expediency as opposed to grim realities on the ground in Afghanistan and violence against civilians, especially journalists, members of civil society has spiralled in the run up to negotiations.

In a deeply insightful conversation, Dr. Sharifi has shared with us his views on the ongoing negotiations, the growing violence in Kabul, the implications of the peace talks in the geo-political region, and the need for the international community to pay attention to the Afghan Peace Process. He also discussed in detail India's potential influence in Afghanistan and the need for the country to be proactive  in the peace process.