Afghanistan cannot become area of contest between Pakistan & India because India is not coterminous with Afghanistan.
DELHI: This is with reference to Shahid Javed Burki’s article of November 9 “What went wrong in Afghanistan”. It is refreshing to read a sober and serious treatment of the subject. With much of what the writer says, I agree. Let me say a few things which are a result of my study of these questions for some time.
I am a retired university academic. I used to teach Chinese Political Geography at the University of Delhi. I used to trace the growth of Russian, Chinese and British (British Indian) empires in this part of the world from the 17-18th century onwards and how the three managed their rivalries. I have been considering events since 9/11 more closely, although the historical aspect is ever-present in my mind.
Afghanistan cannot become an area of contest between Pakistan and India because India is not coterminous with Afghanistan. Indian concern and contribution can be limited to some assistance in the construction of infrastructure and training of Afghan personnel.
The tragedy for Afghanistan was that in the post-Soviet period, it was treated by Pakistan more or less as a province of Pakistan — territorial depth and all that — which was really a function of the India-Pakistan relationship. Pakistan was not interested in the internal administration of Afghanistan.
As it happened, the process of Islamisation worked to the detriment of both Afghanistan and Pakistan under the ‘guidance’ of extremist movements. The twains are still contending with its influences. Jihad was an idea picked up by Ronald Reagan and enthusiastically supported by General Ziaul Haq. In due time, the practitioners of jihad became what we now call terrorists. This is what happens when leaders play with historical forces.
VC Bhutani
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2013.
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