Our Afghanistan policy

Given the new dimensions of peace policy in Afghanistan it appears that peace might just come to Afghanistan at last

Pakistan may be the “worst neighbour in hell” as the sentiment goes in Afghanistan. However, the recent shift in Afghanistan’s policy on Pakistan depicts a new Afghan mindset — a new-found ‘respect’ for Pakistan, freeing it from the accusation of being a state that caused instability in Afghanistan.

Just a few years ago, while attending seminars on Afghanistan in the US, the UK, or Australia, it was rare to find Pakistan not being targeted as the barrier to peace in Afghanistan. Moreover, the war against the Taliban was considered to be the only option to foster peace, a strong Indian role was advocated, and presence of American troops was deemed to be a necessary condition for peace in Afghanistan. That has changed drastically. The recent panel discussion titled “Peace in Afghanistan” at the University of Sydney — which included Afghan, British, and Australian experts — to my surprise, took a pause to exclusively praise General Raheel Sharif and the government of Pakistan.

“Peace with the Taliban has been made possible by the positive role played by General Raheel Sharif to reach out to the Afghan government and recognise that stability in Afghanistan means stability in Pakistan,” one Afghan panelist at a recent seminar not only appreciated the pivotal role played by Pakistan in negotiations with the Taliban but also lauded the positive mediation between Afghanistan and the US — a rare acclaim that Pakistan never receives when it comes to Afghanistan’s challenges. The panel discussion went on for over two hours raising interesting points. First, the panelists agreed upon a diplomatic solution as the only solution when it comes to dealing with the Taliban. Second, empowering warlords and certain Mujahideen was considered to be the only reliable solution for a truly national government which sounded like making space for a the ‘good Taliban bad Taliban’ policy. And third, pressing Pakistan to play a major role in brokering peace because of its clout over the Taliban and the ability to convince the US on strategic policies was considered crucial. My only thought at the end of this seminar was that all of these points had been vehemently advocated by Pakistan for decades at different forums at the cost of being labelled as a ‘state sponsoring terrorism’ and a rogue nation.

Today, as these recommendations are being considered and hailed as the Holy Grail for success in Afghanistan, perhaps, Pakistan deserves some gratitude if not an apology? Given that the seminar panelists on Afghanistan at the University of Sydney did not even fleetingly discuss a potential role for India in the Afghan peace process came as a surprise, and says a lot about the new Afghan government’s policy on the subject. Pakistan is clearly the priority for Ashraf Ghani’s government that understands that no lasting peace in Afghanistan is possible without full unconditional support from Pakistan, which also means taking India out of the equation. Similar signals have been given by the US administration on the centrality of Pakistan’s role.

Another surprising shift from conventional wisdom was the blame squared on the US for its aggressive policies and taking of sides in Afghanistan’s politics. While the Karzai government took the major blame at the seminar for not allowing peace and blocking the Qatar rounds with the Afghan Taliban, there are high hopes associated with the new Afghan government and it is hoped that its cordial stance on Pakistan will get major breakthroughs in the peace process.

As the Afghan panelists at the seminar rightly pointed out: “Afghanistan has to change its mindset towards Pakistan, filtering the propaganda, and realising that Pakistan could be a source of stability in Afghanistan.” This closely aligns with Ghani’s policy on Pakistan that is a shift away from Karzai’s pro-Indian and aggressive stance on Pakistan. Given the new dimensions of the peace policy in Afghanistan — with the US and Afghanistan governments on the same page as Pakistan for the first time in 14 years — it appears that peace might just come to Afghanistan at last.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.