The NYT reported secret peace talks between Karzai and the Taliban which may be why Karzai seems to be sabotaging Afghanistan’s relations with the US.  Some of these issues are Karzai’s failure to sign a post 2014 troop agreement, pushing to free the worst captured insurgents  despite strong US objections and making unsubstantiated claims of atrocities by foreign coalition troops.  Karzai’s initiatives seemed to have been targeted at ingratiating itself with the Taliban and further supposed Taliban peace initiatives that have since dried up.  While the Karzai initiatives didn’t further peace talks they did serve to aggravate an already tense relationship with the US which may have been the Taliban’s aim all along. 

Karzai isn’t the only one to be made to look foolish by the Taliban.  The US did much the same when it withdrew opposition for the standing up of a Taliban “political office” in Quatar giving political and media recognition to the Taliban.  The office was closed after Afghan and US pressure came to bear when the Taliban started to use the office to spread propaganda vs. being a point of contact for the peace process.   

Personally I can see Karzai’s moves as part of a plan to remain in power after the US leaves by ingratiating himself with the Pashtun community and alienating the US.