The Afghan reboot

The rebooting of the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is much to be welcomed, and signals a potential win-win for both countries. Relations for much of the last decade were soured by a consistently negative attitude towards Pakistan displayed by former president Hamid Karzai. The Karzai government was dogged by a narrowness of vision and an adherence to paradigms long past their sell-by date. By contrast, President Ashraf Ghani was ready to draw a line under the ‘relationship of suspicion’ and move towards one based on a shared economic dependence. A visit to the GHQ in Rawalpindi was significant quite aside from its symbolism. For the poison to drain from our relations, there has to be a shaking of hands at the highest military level, and the civilian governments on either side need to be sure that their military men are on the same page in terms of any mutual improvements in the overall climate.

The France-Germany economic relationship is one of the great success stories of modern times, a model of post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation. As the ubiquitous ‘unnamed security official’ said, “it is time to move beyond the bickering”. The deck is now clear for some quick reform, with Pakistan lowering tariffs and accelerating the clearance of Afghan goods under a bilateral trade agreement. The seal on a new beginning was made at a press conference attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Afghan leader. The body language was relaxed, the smiles and handshakes warm and the reboot a reality. It is now vital that there be no backsliding from this newly established forward position. Now, both states need to move quickly to make good on their promises if they are not to drift away on the wind — but all in all, the Afghan president’s visit is a most positive development in Pakistan-Afghan relations in more than a decade.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2014.