Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Qatar on Thursday, just two days before the signing of much-awaited US-Taliban peace deal, giving rise to speculations that possible Taliban feet-dragging might be the reason.

The US and the Afghan Taliban are set to sign an agreement on Saturday to secure Washington’s exit from its longest war through gradual withdrawal.

Though Pakistani Foreign Office said Khan is in the Persian Gulf state for a day-long visit to discuss bilateral issues, there were suggestions he might have gone for persuading the Taliban to stick to the proposed agreement.

The premier’s visit also fueled wild speculations because he’s not to attend Saturday’s ceremony. Instead, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will represent Pakistan at the event to be attended by delegates from around 30 countries.

Pakistan is believed to have a significant influence on the Taliban, the most formidable militant group in Afghanistan that has been constant trouble for US-led international forces since their landing in that part of the world.

Trump is desperate to deliver his version of peace in Afghanistan ahead of the US elections, but the proposed deal remains surrounded in mystery and uncertainty.

The terms of the proposed agreement remain secret. The deal, if it went through, will herald the start of a hopeful new period for Afghanistan, which has seen 40 years of unending conflict.

But there are several snarls on the way. Besides the questions that remain swirling around the Taliban's intentions, Afghanistan’s fragile government remains in the grip of a political crisis that emerged from the recent elections in which two parties claimed victory.

More importantly, the fragile Afghanistan government, which exists only thanks to western powers backing, is totally out of the loop. No Afghan government representative will even attend the signing ceremony.

"We are not part of these negotiations. We don't trust the Taliban," an Afghan official said.

Despite their being much weaker than the Taliban, Afghan Government - along with the Opposition - represents the groups that historically have been at odds with the Taliban.

These Afghan groups are largely those who were once part of the Northern Alliance – the nemesis of Taliban. So, their exclusion from the process will simply mean the continuation of hostilities in the war-ravaged country.

The results of the recent polls have sharpened the divisions among the local anti-Taliban forces but if the Taliban succeed in securing a lion’s share as a result of the deal with the US, these groups will be forced to join hands against Taliban.

As for now, their internal conflict has only added confusion to Afghanistan’s future. President Ashraf Ghani and rival candidate Abdullah Abdullah both claimed their victory in the recent elections and both announced to form their government.

The US, which initially refused to unequivocally endorse Ghani's claim, has now declared him the winner.

The declaration was made by US troubleshooter on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, after he succeeded in preventing both the leaders from holding their oath-taking ceremonies. As a result of his efforts, Ghani has now also announced to form an “inclusive” government.

“As the electoral process has concluded, President Ghani, as the declared winner, and other leaders should ensure that the new government is inclusive and reflects the aspirations of all Afghans,” said Khalilzad, who is also the man who is brokering the deal with the Taliban.

The apparent reconciliation between Ghani and Abdullah does not mean the trouble is over. There are big questions about the future of any “inclusive” government of anti-Taliban groups and it remains unclear what will happen with it if the Taliban deal goes through.