Straight talking

Mr Karzai cannot be dismissed as an irrelevance but it is the govt of Mr Ghani that Pakistan now has to deal with

Nothing is ever simple, quick or transparent when it comes to our relations with Afghanistan, but that said there really does appear to be a significant shift in long-entrenched positions by both countries which aggregate to a more positive relationship overall. Much of the previous relationship that Pakistan had was characterised by implausible denial, mostly in respect of the various Taliban groups operating in Afghanistan. Conversely, the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai was accusatory, perennially peeved at what it saw as meddling in its internal affairs by a neighbour. This continued for many years, a sterile to-and-fro that profited neither. The situation today is much changed, and Pakistan has for the first time issued a direct warning to the Afghan Taliban, saying they should call off their spring offensive or “face the consequences”. This is the diplomatic equivalent of a 180-degree turn. The consequences are unspecified and the warning was delivered via the Afghan office in Doha. It is reported that it was issued with the full knowledge and consent of the Afghan government.

At this juncture, it is important to note how various elements in Afghanistan are reacting to the warming of relations between the two countries. Mr Karzai is now out of office but continues to fulminate from the sidelines, much to the irritation of the far-from-secure government of Ashraf Ghani. He remains a potent force in Afghan politics and he is far from happy at the way relations with Pakistan are developing. In particular, he is concerned about the MoU signed between Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). It concerns proposed intelligence-sharing and Mr Karzai has made it plain that he sees this as against Afghan national interests. The NDS is attempting to pour oil on troubled waters by saying that the MoU will only be operationalised after passing through five legal steps and there appears to be a long way to go before that particular seedling bears any fruit. Mr Karzai cannot be dismissed as an irrelevance but it is the government of Mr Ghani that Pakistan now has to deal with. The previously fractious relationship with Afghanistan was long past its sell-by date. Yesterday’s men cannot be allowed to get in the way of today’s urgent business.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2015.

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