Daily Times

The intelligence sharing agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is fundamental to the establishment and preservation of security and stability in the region. During the last 13-year-long war on terrorism, Pakistan and Afghanistan have signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on intelligence sharing that have helped both states in many ways. The MoU signed between the two states in May 2015 is considered of vital importance because they have been fighting terrorism and insurgencies since the US intervention in Afghanistan. Since Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif declared in Kabul that the enemy of Afghanistan is the enemy of Pakistan, the two states have entered a new era of long-term friendship. The threat of the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) has significantly changed the direction of intelligence sharing between the neighbours. Although the threat of the Taliban and IS is by no means new, the scope and global reach of their networks, both leading up to and following the terrorist attacks in New York, has made intelligence sharing a top priority for the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.
Secret agencies commonly negotiate MoUs, setting out the modalities of intelligence exchange. However, in contrast to agreements, memorandums do not require approval by national assemblies and can be implemented by the intelligence agencies themselves. Since General Musharraf’s revelation in February 2015 about the involvement of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, a new perception has developed: the ISI is behind all the misadventures and grievances in Afghanistan. If we look at the statements of certain Pakistani generals and religious clerics, and their resentment towards Afghanistan, the fear and reservations of the Afghan leadership seem justified.
In February 2015, former President General Pervez Musharaf admitted that his government and the ISI had been behind the suicide attacks in Afghanistan during his regime in which thousands of innocent civilians were killed. “In President Karzai’s times, yes, indeed, he was damaging Pakistan and, therefore, we were working against his interests,” he said. This interview was taken seriously by the Afghan national army, the intelligence community, parliament and civil society, and has brought about a change in the mindset of the Afghan population. As we all know, the ISI is directed by senior figures in the armed forces to serve their interests, interferes in politics and diplomacy, and is therefore bound to follow the instructions of the military leadership. The supremacy of the ISI mirrors the paramountcy of the Pakistan army in the country’s political arena and economy. It is considered a useful organisation for the projection of Pakistan’s national interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia. The official role of the ISI is to serve as the first line of defence by providing the government with intelligence regarding national security. For Pakistan, controlling Afghanistan or at least having a compliant regime there apparently offered ‘strategic depth’.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the ISI has been an unsuccessful intelligence organisation during the US’s war on terrorism. It lost control of the Haqqani group, the Taliban and sectarian mafias, and ruined Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan and India. The ISI never sought to adapt a pragmatic approach to win over the minds and hearts of the Afghans.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed deep concern over the signing of the MoU. The office of the former president issued a statement calling on the government to cancel the memorandum. Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar criticised the ISI and termed Pakistan an enemy of Afghanistan. In a bid for peace with the Taliban, President Ghani ordered the National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief to end the propaganda against the ISI. Last week, the NDS chief and advisor for national security exchanged harsh words in an official meeting. Dr Abdullah also demanded an amendment in the MoU’s text; he was informed about the contents of the Memorandum by former President Hamid Karzai. The signing of an intelligence sharing MoU between the ISI and NDS has caused growing concern at all levels in the country. Warlord Abdul Rasool Sayyaf also criticised the MoU and said that the deal will only benefit Islamabad. Former chiefs of the NDS, Amrullah Saleh and warlord Asadullah Khalid, asked the government to revoke the memorandum. The National Solidarity Party (NSP) also criticised Islamabad for interfering in Afghanistan through an intelligence agreement.
The MoU was also criticised by Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. On May 23, 2015, Doval said that the memorandum was based on a faulty assumption: “What Pakistan wanted was to get an assurance and put pressure on Afghanistan so that it will not allow its territory to be used for any security related work by India.” Ethnic and political divisions within the NDS and recent political confrontations are causing the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan. In all parts of the country, fighting IS is a big challenge for the Sovietised intelligence of the country. Afghanistan wants to settle all issues with Pakistan to tackle the threat of the Taliban and IS effectively but, unfortunately, Pakistan abruptly changes its position and continues to send hundreds of proxies into Afghanistan.
On May 24, 2015, Khaama Press reported that President Ashraf Ghani had also changed his position on Pakistan. The Afghan president warned that Pakistan is engaged in an undeclared war with Afghanistan. He made these remarks at the nomination ceremony of Muhammad Masoom Stanekzai as the new defence minister of Afghanistan: “The war has been imposed on us and Afghans are determined not to ever bow to the imposed war. We will respond to the imposed war with war.” This is the first time that the Afghan president has clearly given this message to Pakistan. In these circumstances, the trust deficit between the two states could be further exacerbated because Afghanistan does not want to eliminate India’s political influence.

The writer is the author of Punjabi Taliban. He can be reached at zai.musakhan222@gmail.com