Daily Times

Mutual visits, CBMs, agreements, reengagement, military and security cooperation, joint efforts against militancy and the keenness of both Pakistan and the new Afghan government have brought their relations to such a positive momentum, one that has not been seen throughout their history before.

The initiative was taken by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to visit Islamabad in mid-November. Ghani was warmly welcomed by Pakistan to play an active, sincere and cooperative role in all respects in Afghanistan’s political stability. Afghanistan’s political instability has had serious repercussions for Pakistan’s internal security, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Bilateral relations between the countries have remained fragile throughout history because of mutual distrust and exasperation. This time, a visible change can be seen in the perceptions of both Kabul and Islamabad. The approach seems realistic: dealing with terrorism and extremism as common threats to their states and combating them through joint cooperation.

Ashraf Ghani’s visit to Islamabad and the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in the recent past was intended to settle the entire spectrum of issues. Before his visit, he had gained a good repute in the eyes of Pakistan’s military establishment by cancelling the arms deal his predecessor had made with India. His visit to the GHQ was a practical step towards the resumption of military and intelligence cooperation. Ghani also acknowledged the GHQ’s role in Afghanistan’s political stability. It is pertinent to mention here that before Ghani’s visit on November 6, 2015, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif had visited Kabul and discussed various issues including the ongoing militancy in the region. Additionally, General Sharif also offered to train the Afghan security forces and provide weapons to an Afghan infantry division. Raheel Sharif’s recent visit was the third one since Ghani took charge.

Just a week after visiting India, Ghani visited Islamabad, which was encouraging from Pakistan’s point of view. During his visit, Ghani said, “We must overcome the past…we will not permit the past to destroy the future.” It seemed that the Afghan leadership wanted a new beginning. It is worth mentioning here that both sides have expressed their willingness to bury the past and turn over a new page in their ties. In a press conference after the GHQ visit, Ghani added, “Afghanistan wants to bolster security and defence ties with Pakistan, including cooperation in training and border management.” Military cooperation was an unprecedented development in the relations of both countries.

Similarly, both sides strongly expressed that neither would allow its territory to be used against the other. Measures have already been taken by Pakistan to launch Operation Zarb-e-Azab in North Waziristan. On the other hand, Afghan leaders are set to launch a clean-up operation against militants sheltering in Kunar province and some other border areas. Economic engagement was also discussed during the visit, including transit trade. There are some allegations from the Afghan side regarding transit trade, which representatives in Islamabad showed their willingness to resolve. President Ghani brought a large business delegation to negotiate and strengthen economic ties. The setting up of special economic zones for Pakistani textiles in Afghanistan has also been offered.

Both sides agreed to boost bilateral trade to $ five billion in the next two years. The Afghan president agreed to allow Pakistan trade access to Tajikistan via Afghanistan. Agreements were made to strengthen road and rail links, border security agreements, the CASA 1,000 electricity line and the trans-Afghanistan gas pipeline. After a long meeting with Ashraf Ghani, Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif called it “a strong, comprehensive and enduring relationship”. There were motives compelling both sides to be on the same page to resolve their issues. The cooperation we see today is the outcome of the efforts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and China in strengthening trilateral relations. All three countries have their own problems and interests, which cannot be dealt with without smooth relations with one another and a peaceful region.

In the first place, the new government of Afghanistan has realised that without Pakistan’s cooperation, achieving stability in Afghanistan is impossible, especially after the US military’s withdrawal. There is an example before them of Hamid Karzai’s government, which ruled for 13 years but could not succeed in truly bringing peace and stability. One reason for his failure was the tilt that he had towards India. He always blamed Pakistan for instability in Afghanistan.

The approach of the new leadership in Afghanistan is realistic and in the spirit of extending friendship to its neighbour. Kabul sees two entities inside Pakistan, which could play a vital role in Afghanistan’s political stability. Firstly, Pakistan’s military establishment can play a more effective role in combating militancy. By launching operations in FATA, the Pakistani army can eliminate militants who are sheltered there and directly affect Afghanistan’s peace and stability. Secondly, the new government wants to bring the insurgent groups into mainstream politics for which Pakistan’s role is indispensable. Some of the leaders of religious parties in Pakistan have influence over certain factions of the Taliban and can play a key role as mediators between the Taliban and new Afghan government. These two main factors have compelled Kabul to be realistic and normalise historically fragile relations with Islamabad.

From Pakistan’s side, there are three main reasons for showing such keenness in Afghanistan’s political stability. Firstly, its internal security situation, which is dependent upon Afghanistan’s political stability, is getting worse day by day. There was a time when the jihadists of the Afghan war, trained against Soviet intervention, were in the hands of Pakistan. They were considered a strategic asset for Pakistan in Afghanistan and served it to some extent. After 9/11, the elements that had been used against the Soviet Union during its intervention in Afghanistan were recruited by various agencies that started to use them for their own interests, especially against Pakistan. They have had safe havens and influence on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. They gained strength through economic support by serving as puppets in the hands of various agencies. Even after 9/11, there was the perception of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban in Pakistan but after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted some tumultuous attacks inside Pakistan, they have been put under one banner: the Taliban. One prominent group of the ‘good’ Taliban was the Haqqani group, against which Pakistan has also started an operation. All these actions show that Pakistan wants to get rid of this evil.

Secondly, the realistic approach of the new Afghan government to change its tilt towards India, which existed in the previous government of Hamid Karzai, is a major factor.

China has started serious efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan for two main reasons. Firstly, the separatist movement in Xinjiang (a Muslim majority province) is considered a serious threat to China because of its rich oil and gas resources. China realises that after the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, the militants will be strengthened, which will have effects on Xinjiang’s unrest. At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tajikistan, the Chinese president called for a crackdown on three evil forces: extremism, terrorism and separatism. China is definitely under the threat of separatism arising from Xinjiang’s unrest. Likewise, Chinese multibillion-dollar investment in Afghanistan is also a factor towards a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. A stable Afghanistan will serve as a huge market for China, which will fulfil its political interests as well. The aforementioned factors have played a bridging role to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan closer. This is a time for both the neighbours to resolve their mutual issues, especially when China is playing a key role. This understanding is a new beginning in the relations of both countries, which should continue if they want peace and stability in the region.

The writer is an M Phil scholar at the department of Political Science, University of Peshawar. He can be reached at zafar_iqbal786@yahoo.com