Beyond repair?

Pakistan needs to address the negative perception of playing double games which exists in the Afghan population.

“They are mercenaries” my friend, who serves in an important post in northern Afghanistan, tells me. “They are not necessarily Taliban or al Qaeda. They come from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are here, in Afghanistan, to assassinate those of us who are working for peace. They are paid to do a job; they hang around waiting for an opportunity and then they act. I have lost six good friends to them over the last one year, the most recent, just two days ago and this is why my own security is being upgraded.”

We were speaking in a heavily fortified compound in northern Afghanistan. The sound of labourers erecting yet more barricades against potential suicide bombers echoing through the frozen evening air as the Afghan National Army, police and private guards patrolled the closed road outside, guarded the compound and house entrances and maintained a twenty-four hour watch from behind sandbags on the roof.

“The situation is that the Taliban and al Qaeda from Central Asia and elsewhere are trying to make a base in this area and this makes it a very dangerous place to be. They can strike at anytime and anywhere, which is why it is also necessary for you to have guards at all times and the reason why you cannot move about freely. It is too dangerous and, for this, we have Pakistan to blame and perhaps, Saudi Arabia too”.

My friend is embarrassed to name Pakistan, but once this is out in the open, he feels free to continue. “It is beyond comprehension for Pakistan to persistently interfere in Afghanistan. It has nothing concrete to achieve here. It does not, in truth, make sense for the present situation to continue. If Pakistan would stop, everyone would gain. There would be a return to peace in Afghanistan and our country could return to normalcy after so many years of war and unrest. American and other foreign troops could also leave then and let us Afghans decide our own future which is exactly what the majority of the nation wants to do. Can you tell me why they are all here, what they are doing and what are their long-term plans as nothing is clear right now?”

Unable to give a concise answer to this unexpected string of questions, I ask about the suicide bomber arrested nearby a couple of days earlier. “Paid by people in Pakistan” I am told. “He had arms, explosives, grenades and a suicide vest. We will know more after his interrogation is complete. If Pakistan will stop funding these insurgents, directly or indirectly, there is still time to rebuild the brotherly friendship our countries used to have. This is of paramount importance and must be done so that the entire region can work together and thrive. If the situation is allowed to continue, things will go from bad to worse until a point of no return is reached. Already, ordinary Pakistanis are facing problems in Afghanistan and whilst this is certainly not good, it is completely understandable.”

The situation has reached such an impasse that many people from Pakistan who travel there for business, avoid — if they can — speaking in Urdu. For many of the reasons mentioned above, many people in Afghanistan tend to blame Pakistan for just about everything and anything bad that happens inside their country. Regardless of how true or not the actual ground reality is, clearly Pakistan needs to do something to address this negative perception, or else its relationship with Afghanistan may be beyond repair.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2012.