Without the cooperation of its neighbours, the survival of Pakistan will remain in great peril.
MUMBAI: This is with reference to M Ziauddin’s article “A new-look foreign policy?”. It is an excellent reading of the situation with welcome suggestions, too. The strategy of trying to hobble India by indulging in asymmetric warfare using non-state actors did not succeed. That it affected Pakistan adversely by creating schisms within is well known. No longer can Afghanistan be used for hijacking and terror training, with or without the return of the Taliban.
Today, hate for Pakistani policies in Afghanistan competes with hate for America, while India is applauded for its non-political aid and development projects. To win the trust of ordinary Afghans, Pakistan must transfer all the Taliban leaders housed in its territory to a neutral dispensation somewhere, from where an all-Afghan dialogue can take place, enabling the Taliban to join the democratic process and subsequently test their electoral strength. The Taliban expectations of getting their pound of flesh without testing their electoral strength and using violence from their sanctuaries in Pakistan should be quashed.
An ideal win-win proposal for Pakistan would be to befriend not just China but the US and India, too and stop trying to play one up against the other — the results of such past policies being very poor. Once the world sees positive action and recognises that Pakistan’s intentions are good, they will come forward to help and safeguard the integrity of Pakistan. Without the cooperation of its neighbours, the survival of the country will remain in great peril.
Feroz Daruwala
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2013.
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