‘Pakistan should not treat Afghanistan as its liability’

Expert highlights need for coalition to chalk out peace plan for Kabul

ISLAMABAD: For Pakistan, it is safer to interact with Afghanistan on the basis of established state-to-state norms because this is a relationship we cannot insulate ourselves from. However, Pakistan should not treat Afghanistan as its fifth province or liability.

These were the views of former foreign secretary Ambassador (Retd) Riaz Khan, at a guest lecture on Pakistan-Afghanistan: Way Forward for Bilateral Relations organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) held in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The former foreign secretary providing his insights from the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to signing of the Geneva Accord said that the Soviet withdrawal did not prevent continuation of the conflict; the same is feared if the Americans leave Kabul too soon.

“There is a relationship between Islamabad and Kabul; and here we need to be cautious not to make policy statements or give directions on Kabul’s behalf. Let them work out their issues on their own. How the Afghans run their country, or want to, is their business. Not ours.”

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“The current peace deal was tenuous to begin with since it was pushed by President Trump due to his re-election bid and past campaign promises.

“It had limited support from defence and diplomatic heavy weights in Washington because negotiations without a ceasefire or reduction in conflict gave the Taliban the upper hand.

“Withdrawal without a plan of action to ensure that there is no civil war and the gains on the ground are not lost is unwise,” he said. Pakistan should also have a policy of having no favorites in terms of the future of Afghan governance even to contain the mischief of India who will have to go through Kabul and Washington, not the Taliban.

“We will not target the Taliban or their families. We will be candid and upfront on this approach with Washington and Kabul,” he advised.

The former foreign secretary was of the view that the Afghan conflict is complex and Afghanistan is riven with deep schisms of a political, ethnic, sectarian and ideological character.

The hope that this 40-year-old conflict has run its course depends on two trajectories: reduction in violence and some form of intra-Afghan dialogue for a political settlement.

“Reduction of violence will depend on a formal or informal ceasefire which is inextricably linked to the question of a timeline for withdrawal and the compulsions of the current United States president,” he stressed.

He observed that the leadership in Kabul needs to understand the miseries of their own people and think beyond the acrimonious past and work towards a coalition plan for peace in their country.

“The Taliban also need to be conscious that while return to talks seems unlikely, especially before the Afghan elections, they would have to give more than they had conceded before. They would have to reduce violence, if not work toward a complete ceasefire. They will have to scale down their positions,” he remarked.

Pakistan’s Afghan problem

On the role of Pakistan, he observed that the focus should be on looking at positive results rather than kudos for helping the process.

He lamented that Pakistan’s four decades of involvement with the Afghan conflict has led to monumental losses.

“We missed out on opportunities offered by globalisation, ascendance of geo-economics and the opening up of Central Asia.

Our aspirations for becoming a hub of economic activities for surrounding regions remained just a dream. Instead, we have been sucked into the vortex of extremist and religious violence and obscurantism ravaging the region especially the greater Middle East.

Now we have pinned hopes on CPEC, but for realising the potential of that great enterprise, we need to rethink Afghanistan,” he said.

Earlier, IPRI President Ambassador Vice Admiral (Retd) Khan Hasham bin Saddique said that the situation in Afghanistan had become a sordid affair –evolving from infamous strategic depth to the current strategic mess.

“Despite hosting more than 2 million Afghan refugees for decades, the animosity that stems from Afghanistan is palpable. Peace in South Asia can only be realised through peace in Afghanistan,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2019.