Islamabad, Kabul need to rescind reactionary policies

Must emphasise welfare of citizens of both countries who continue to suffer

PESHAWAR: Sanctions and restrictions on Afghans residing in Pakistan—particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa—are adding fuel to the fire.

Ties between the two neighbours are deteriorating as tensions over talks and terrorism balloon.

Arrests and detentions of Afghans have been taking place for a few years but now even their movement is being halted under Section 144 in Peshawar. The political administration of Khyber Agency also directed Afghans to leave by end of May. Sharing a roughly 2,250-kilometre-long border also never alleviated the situation; the Durand Line only became a stronger pressure point.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union-backed regime in 1992, the Islamabad and Kabul relationship had a trickle-down effect on their public. People-to-people contact slowly soured.

No one can deny law-enforcement agencies often pin the blame on Afghan nationals or refugees; at times to camouflage their own failure. In December 1995, a massive explosion rocked Wudoodsons, a departmental store in Saddar, Peshawar. The police charged one Afghan, identified as, Abdul Mateen, for engineering the violent act through a car bomb. Afterwards, they spent precious resources chasing Mateen, who went from a suspect to terrorising spectre to a mystery but never incarcerated.

A similar situation presents itself even now – all suicide bombers either killed in the Bacha Khan University attack or other violent acts are ‘identified’ as Afghans, generating a justification for crackdowns.

It is not to say all Afghans in Pakistan are non-violent flower children; many among them are also criminals or terrorists.

But people forget, the Afghans, dragged through the mud in national discourse, did end up contributing to the economy in Pakistan. They established businesses and spent money in the country. A majority of them a decent people who respect the law of the land and enjoy cordial relations with locals.

It is important to acknowledge the second generation born to Afghan migrants and refugees in Pakistan. For them, Pakistan is home.

Tit for tat

But as state policy dictates, these Afghans must also be uprooted. Whether residing legally or illegally, many of them are being arrested, detained and finally deported to their war-torn motherland.

As Afghanistan starts reciprocating, Pakistan must keep in mind there are over 200,000 skilled and unskilled Pakistanis engaged in economic activities in Afghanistan. In retaliation, Afghan law-enforcement agencies are already arresting and detaining Pakistanis.

A couple of days ago, a boy from Peshawar studying in Afghanistan was arrested by intelligence agencies in Kabul. Hundreds of other Pakistanis, mostly unskilled labourers, sit in Afghan jails, unsure of the exact nature of their crime.

The bonds that keep

Some tales of the two countries are tied through knots. Gulab Said, an Afghan born and raised in Peshawar, is amongst those confused by growing hostilities between Islamabad and Kabul. Said needs peace between the two nations as he has a wife from each.

His Pakistani wife has a Computerised National Identity Card and owns properties in Peshawar but she cannot get a Form-B for their children.

“I really am very confused – I can’t leave my wife and children in Peshawar [and go to Afghanistan] and I cannot stay.” His children have never visited Afghanistan and do not want to leave Peshawar. Remove Said’s name and the story could be any one of thousands of Afghans tied by marriage to Pakistan.

Instead of allowing hostilities to brew, leaders from both countries must work out a plan which prioritises the interests of both people. With better ties, Pakistan and Afghanistan could emerge as two of the most prosperous and progressive countries in the world, but not without trust.

All restrictions and sanctions must be eased as when countries share a border so intertwined, people-to-people contact defines the outcome.

At this point, only the enemy benefits, possibly with an eye on the rich natural resources in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2016.