Pakistan is the biggest stakeholder on the issue of post-2014 Afghanistan - which is when US and Nato forces plan to exit – and the future of the region should be chalaked out with Pakistan’s engagement.
A representative parliamentary delegation comprising all political parties apprised British leaders, parliamentary leaders and opinion makers in the UK of this, said a statement issued by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed.
The two sides discussed the perspective and concerns of Pakistan about the end-game in Afghanistan and on the planned exit of the US and Nato forces from Afghanistan in 2014 and its impact on the region.
It was underlined that Pakistan was the biggest stakeholder on the issue of post-2014 Afghanistan, hosting 2.5 million refugees, having suffered and sacrificed the most after 9/11 with over 40,000 losses of lives of civilians and soldiers.
“The Afghan reconciliation process requires Pakistan’s proactive participation, and its interests were in a stable, united and peaceful Afghanistan,” the statement added.
The study visit to UK has been centred on national security and the role of parliament and political parties in influencing and scrutinising strategies.
The delegates highlighted that as Nato and the US plan a withdrawal from Afghanistan, the security, political and economic future balance of the region must be carefully planned with Pakistan’s engagement.
Pakistan’s changing dynamics as a vibrant and free Muslim democracy with its independent media, independent judiciary, and civil society groups must be kept in view, while recognising that Pakistan is positioning itself for the post-2014 realities of the region, they said.
The group also held a conversation with the Labour Party on the role it has played in the formulation of policies on national security. The delegation was joined by John Spellar, shadow minister for foreign and commonwealth office, Russell Brown, shadow minister for defence and Jo Greening.
The delegation called on Home Secretary Theresa May to discuss the role of interior security and national security and raised questions relating to Pak-UK cooperation on the capacity building of law enforcement agencies and intelligence sharing.
MP David Miliband spoke to the Pakistan delegation on the role of cross-party cooperation on national security.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.
COMMENTS (14)
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@Afghanistan: After all "Ayesha Khan" is an Indian who never stops posting anti Pakistani comments on this newspaper to please and praise her Indian homeland. When will Indians and Afghanis learn to focus on their own problems instead of being obsessed with Pakistan? The solution to the Pakistan Afghanistan issue is to get NATO to build a big fence on the border to prevent movement of people across the border . IN this way Indian agents and Afghanis refugees won't enter Pakistan and the problem would go away.
@ayesha_khan: well said my dear sister
@hamza: My friend, I think you are not happy with any of your neighbour and wish your contry was in Mars so that your all neigbour would enjoy peace. India,Afghanistan and now china is suffering from the millitants get training in Pakistan and Iran is suffering due to US presence in the region for whom pakistan pave the way to establish bases in the region. Your president Mr musharaf also had the same mentality as you have and thats why he helped US cordially to bombard us. Your country has been established by British empire for their interest who snatch the soil from India and Afghanistan as they also created Israel and occupied palestinian teritory. You helped the US to come to the region and Israel is also helping west to hurt the who arab world and thats why we afghan would not trust you anymore and we realize the true face of you.
Pakistani delegation describing Pakistan as the biggest stakeholders. Why am I not surprised.? Now I could have bought this if they described themselves as 'one of the biggest stakeholders'. Surely the question of who is the biggest stakeholder cannot be disputed? IT has to be the Afghan people.
@Pakistan please dont give afghans a sugar coated friendship pill while u r running out of sugar... we hold no respect for them...try looking out of the religious prism @afghanistan we hate your country to no limit i just wish that there was some kind of river or sea separating a country like afghanistan from Pakistan...how unlucky Pakistan is having a border with afgahnistan and please take your 1.8-3million something civilians...they are living on my, my family's and my Pakistani's tax money... while we lack basic utilities!
@Afghanistan:
Dont forget that it is Pakistan that does not let these occupiers(US and Nato) succeed in Afghanistan, otherwise if Pakistan wasnt there then you would have been a colony of USSR, the real problem is Afghani's cauz they have been fighting each other for years just for own sack, Although pakistan has made mistakes but dont forget that we have 30 million refugees in Pakistan since 1980's, i dont understand this mentality of Afghan's, when they are in Pakistan they call themself Pakistani Pashtoons, when they leave to Dubai or somewhere else then they turned against Pakistan.a famous saying "Pehlay apnay garayban me jhankoo".
@Pakistan: My dear pashtoon sister, As you know we also respect our pakistanis muslim brothers and sisters espcecially our pushtoons and even we claim that there is no different between upper and lower(lar aw bar) pushtoon. whenever we afghans call pakistan we mean military and establsihment of that country and as you said we also hope they change their policy towards its muslim neighbour and leave us to enjoy peaceful life. We Afghans never tried to hurt pakistan and its a true fact that during 1965 and 1971 when pakistan was fighting with India, afghanistan though had problem with pakistan for pakhtoonistan but didn't help India. I think if both country try for peace and develop trade and economical relationship, nation of both country can take sigh of peace.
ha ha ha.....only If wishes were horses.....
@Afghanistan: Dear brother, we the common people of Pakistan have deep respect for you and love you like our brothers, which is why you can come in Pakistan and can hardly be differentiated from a Pakistani. The people of Pakistan do not want to interfere in Afghanistan. The military once had its ambitions on Afghanistan but it has changed that policy ever since terrorism has hit Pakistan. No more strategic depth. Nevertheless, it continues to pursue a dominant role in Afghanistan in its twisted ways. However, you must realize that nations evolve slowly. Alhumdulillah, we have a free media and a free judiciary that is increasingly questioning Pakistan's military tactics. And next year, we will have a strengthened democracy, inshAllah (with Imran Khan, as PM, insh'Allah) As for the common people of Pakistan, we, Pakistanis, in general and people of KPK in particular, pray to Allah for an Afghanistan blessed with prosperity and happiness. AMEEN! And we wish and hope that you pray for us. Your Pakistani Pashtun sister.
We Afghan can be deceived in friendship but once we realize who our enemy is then we can deal with them easily. Once we had good relationship with soviet union and they were involved in different developmental project and both of us didn't have any problem but when they attacked us the whol world saw the result of that. After that we trusted pakistan and we fought together with soviet union until they were defeated but unfortunitely we understood the true face of pakistan as well(seeking for strategic depth) after USSR withdrawl and now every Afghan is so vigilant towards pakistan and this time I dont think pakistan can decieve us in a mask of friend.
Pakistan's strategic objectives in Afghanistan are simple. They want a weak Afghanistan that views Pakistan as it's big brother - they want Afghanistan to consider India as an enemy - and most importantly they want the USA to have no military presence. It's becoming clear that Pakistan isn't going to achieve any of those goals. Pakistan needs a new strategy but it maybe too late to have any meaningful impact.
The title is very true “Pakistan termed biggest stakeholder in post – 2014 Afghanistan” because Pakistan is completely responsible for the quagmire in which Afghanistan is now. From a long time Pakistan has engaged in a double sword policy with Afghanistan. On one side Pakistan backs NATO efforts to fight Taliban and give lip service of stabilizing Afghanistan with the sole intention of mooching some dollars and on the other side its proxies fight against the NATO troops and this is the only reason that this war has escalated for so long and with this dual policy Pakistan has destroyed itself and is on a brink to implode. There are many factors for this nefarious Pakistani policy in Afghanistan and on the top of the list is it’s jealousy with India as Pakistan can’t stand the development activities which India is perusing for the goodwill of Afghanistan and the second being Pakistan’s covetous desire to keep Afghanistan under its bubble of influence. Pakistan is never going to change this behavior of dual policy which is very essential to stabilize Afghanistan and this war cannot be won unless and until world realizes and take some pragmatic steps to counter Pakistani designs.