The UK joins the peace-hunt

It would be fair to say that the UK has, historically, had mixed fortunes in its dealings and involvements with Afghanistan. Few have had outcomes that have been satisfactory either for the British or the peoples of Afghanistan. The announcement that the UK has launched diplomatic efforts to broker a rapprochement between Islamabad and Kabul where relations are at close to an all-time low, therefore gets a cautious welcome. It is not that we do not wish the UK well in its efforts because we do, and most emphatically at that, but foreign peace initiatives like foreign armies have all fared poorly in recent years.

That the UK is the Old Colonial Power in both Afghanistan and Pakistan is both a potential weakness that will be played for what it is worth by detractors, but considerably more potentially a strength. Other players simply do not have the ‘form’ that the UK has in both countries where it has large diplomatic missions which hopefully are staffed by people who have a more than passing acquaintance with the region. The UK despite whatever military reverses it may have seen in the past has always maintained a solid diplomatic presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and diplomats’ skills will be stretched as they try to repair the rips in the fabric of bilateral relations that have grown in recent years. On the plus side there is reportedly a relatively high level of mutual trust, and whilst not exactly yet seen as a smiling honest broker the UK does not come with quite the same level of mistrust and rancour as do some other players. There are powerful negatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan, political in both cases but with different gradations. Kabul is politically polarised and hamstrung along sectarian and tribal lines to say nothing of being one-third controlled by the Taliban, Pakistan hamstrung by its failure to implement those aspects of the National Action Plan (NAP) that would impact on cross-border relations — namely the rolling back of extremist groups and elements. Trying to square these enduring and poisonous circles has beaten every other peace initiative into retreat. We can only wish all concerned the best of luck.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2017.

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