The exacerbating of tensions in the neighbouring country can have a very adverse effect for Pakistan.
LAHORE: The historic elections in Afghanistan, the first round of which was held in April and the second in June, were a milestone in the long history of the war torn country. As expected, the main contenders turned out to be Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an ethnic Pakhtun from the southeast of the country, and Abdullah Abdullah whose support base lies among the Northerners, especially Tajiks. But the whole project of electioneering became sour when in the second round, Ashraf Ghani, who was the runner-up in the first round became a winner. Abdullah Abdullah instantly rejected the outcome and questioned the high turnout of the voting.
The situation became very alarming after Abdullah’s supporters came out on the streets and tore down the portrait of the current president, Hamid Karzai, in the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul.
The exacerbating of tensions in the neighbouring country can have a very adverse effect for Pakistan, but it should not prompt us to try to meddle in the internal affairs of a country which already has many grievances against us — many of them not without justification. Pakistan needs to focus on its own problems, including the rise of the political temperature with the upcoming ‘million-man march’ by Imran Khan and diatribes by Tahirul Qadri. It would be better if Pakistan was to leave the Afghans to themselves to resolve their issues rather than interfere in their affairs which may just help embitter ties between the two countries all the more.
Inayat Khan Wazir
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2014.
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