Regional approach to Afghan peace

That Afghan endgame has come under increased focus, of late, is pretty evident. President Donald Trump clearly appears in a hurry to get rid of Afghanistan, and is trying everything to bring its so-called war on terror going on for 17 years to a halt. The Trump administration started off with attempts to browbeat Pakistan into toeing a line that runs contrary to Islamabad’s policy of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process. Trump then converted his threats into actions in the form of blocking aid — in fact a reimbursement — to its frontline ally in the terror war, alongside stepping up the rhetoric.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s unwavering stance forced President Trump into changing his tactics, and adopting a conciliatory approach on how to proceed towards the long-eluding Afghan settlement. In a letter to PM Imran, Trump sought Pakistan’s ‘assistance and facilitation in achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war’, alongside sending his special representative Zalmay Khalilzad on an emissary journey to Pakistan and other countries that matter in the context.

And as the US seeks Pakistan’s help on the Afghan endgame, the Pakistan Army brass has called for dealing with terrorism through a regional approach, pointing towards the role of Kabul and New Delhi in a veiled, but fairly understandable, expression of words. At their monthly conference on Thursday, the corps commanders have stressed the need for the US to adopt a regional approach to eliminate the roots of terrorism.

The Pakistan-centric Indian motives in Afghanistan are no secret to anybody, and there is no denying that the Kabul-New Delhi nexus is further complicating the Afghan imbroglio. It’s time for the US to pay serious attention to the piece of advice from the Pakistan military leadership and take a holistic view of the situation in pursuit of a peaceful logical conclusion to the Afghan war.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2018.

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