Forcing choices upon Afghans is not what we would like for ourselves, it would not be good for our bilateral ties
KARACHI: With the endgame in Afghanistan drawing to a close, Pakistan has to monitor developments and ensure that its core interests are secured. The Afghan president’s visit paved the way for instituting better relations and now both countries seem to be showing flexibility to improve bilateral ties. Ties between the neighbours have been fraught by mutual distrust and cross-border tensions, as the war against terrorism has become an issue of major concern. Previously, every visit of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai put pressure on Pakistan to ‘do more’ to defeat terrorism and stop alleged extremist infiltrations into Afghan territory, while Pakistan continuously denied such charges. With the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, Pakistan has defended the allegations raised by India and the US that it has a secret state policy of breeding terrorists.
The internal dynamics of Afghanistan are a major concern for President Ashraf Ghani and he needs Pakistan to play its role in making a better Afghanistan. President Ghani, being an economist by profession, knows the tricks of the trade. Having the mindset of an economist, he plans to reconstruct Afghanistan internally, and for that, he is improving trade ties with its neighbours. Since becoming president at the end of September, President Ghani has visited China, Saudi Arabia and now Pakistan. His visit to China brought back the message that China is keen to play a proactive role to avoid any 1989 like situation in Afghanistan as there should be no vacuum left for troublesome non-state actors to occupy.
President Ghani’s will and initiative to meet Pakistan’s demands without compromising on Afghan national interest is a great step forward. Pakistan must also show the same will to address Afghan concerns in order to improve ties. Both countries are ready to address each other’s concerns. Pakistan’s Afghan policy should not be India-centric although some analysts are of the view that a less important role of India in Afghanistan will ensure better Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. However, forcing choices upon the Afghans is not what we would like for ourselves and it would not be good for our bilateral relationship.
Komal Kabir
Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2014.
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