Kabul engagement: Islamabad to exert diplomatic pressure

FO to share evidence of Badhaber base attack with Afghanistan


Abdul Manan September 21, 2015
Premier Nawaz chairs a high-level meeting at the PM House. PHOTO: PPI

ISLAMABAD:


Top civil and military leaders on Monday decided to diplomatically engage Afghanistan over Friday’s Badhaber airbase camp attack in which 29 air force and army officials were martyred.


Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level civil-military huddle at the PM House, where a number of important issues – including the Badhaber tragedy and the premier’s upcoming address at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) – were discussed and strategies devised.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, chief military spokesperson Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, DGMO Maj Gen Amir Riaz, DG Military Intelligence Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj and other senior officers attended the four-hour discussion.

A source said the meeting decided to take up the Badhaber incident with the Afghan government and to share all evidence of the attack at every available forum as Islamabad continues to interact with Kabul.

He said Afghanistan would be engaged diplomatically, adding that representatives of Pakistan’s Foreign Office would soon visit Kabul to share all evidence of the attack. “They won’t lodge any protest during their visit.”

The meeting decided that whenever Premier Nawaz or Pakistan’s military leadership interacts with their respective counterparts in Afghanistan, the Badhaber tragedy would be on the agenda.

Another source said that keeping in view the weak writ of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the hostility of the Afghan media, Pakistan’s civil-military leadership decided against lodging a protest with Kabul because they think it would be ineffective in the prevalent circumstances. “Diplomatic pressure will be more effective than other measures of pressing Afghanistan.”

The meeting discussed the evidence of the airbase camp assault, how to share them with Kabul and what response Pakistan should expect from the Afghan government.

Sources said the civil-military leadership are satisfied with the concrete evidence gathered – mostly telephone records and details of facilitators and hideouts of Taliban in Afghanistan.

A statement from the PM House said the meeting also reviewed the country’s security, border management strategy with Afghanistan and implementation of the National Action Plan. Regarding Ghani’s vow that no one would be allowed to use Afghanistan for terrorism, Pakistani authorities are not sure if they should believe him, given his weak position whereby “he can’t even protect Kabul”.

Border management

The civil-military leadership deliberated over installing a biometric system at the Afghan border to secure Pakistan from infiltration, said a source. “They tried to ascertain if it would be a practical solution, with a majority of them backing the proposal.”

He said the meeting agreed that until the biometric system is installed, the number of checkpoints and security personnel at the border should be increased.

PM’s UNGA speech

Premier Nawaz is scheduled to leave for New York on Tuesday to address the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, over which the civil-military huddle held a discussion, said a source. “Nawaz is likely to highlight India’s involvement in Balochistan, as well as the Kashmir issue, to press India. The premier will take on terrorism and India’s involvement in promoting terrorism in Pakistan.”

This would be the first time that PM Nawaz raises the issue of India’s involvement in Balochistan during his speech at the UN forum, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2015.

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