KARACHI:
As the Taliban continue to take over more and more Afghan territories, Pakistan seems to have isolated itself from the crisis in the aftermath of the US withdrawal. The rift between Kabul and Islamabad continues to worsen as they blame each other for increasing instability in the region.
The Afghan government is reluctant to accept its failures. They consider the haphazard evacuation of the US forces as the primary trigger behind the chaos. However, the Afghan government does need to do some introspection on the matter. Despite the fact that the US and Nato forces had been there for 20 long years, the Afghan government failed to bring the Taliban to the dialogue table. Instead, they maintained a belligerent attitude towards the Taliban, making them more resilient and stubborn. The aggravating situation is a matter of huge concern for Pakistan in terms of security as Pakistan is now expecting a huge influx of refugees from the western border. Pakistan has rightly expressed its concern that thousands of militants might enter the country — a grave threat to national security. Such alarming circumstances require a proactive approach rather than a reactive one. The current statements made by senior government officials including PM Imran Khan are unlikely to bring positive results. The burgeoning tension between Islamabad and Kabul will create more space for Indian agencies to carry out nefarious activities through Afghan territories in the future.
Pakistan’s ‘strategic depth’ ideology will eventually die out if government officials continue to show utter disregard to the challenges that emerge from the crisis. Pakistan must accept ground realities. It must utilise backchannel diplomacy to ensure that the chaos in Afghanistan does not pose a threat to national security.
Tariq Mehmood Khalid
Sargodha
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2021.
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