Daily Times

Times certainly seem to be changing when it comes to our dealings with Afghanistan, albeit in small, baby steps. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has opened a new trade corridor, a road between South Waziristan and Afghanistan so as to enhance economic and trade ties with the war-torn country. The road will be known as the Central Trade Corridor and will also look to help uplift the local economy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the country’s tribal regions. That this is a welcome step in the right direction as far as our relationship with Afghanistan is concerned is pretty obvious, but what does it actually mean as part of the bigger picture?

Pakistan’s tribal areas are the country’s badlands, the ungovernable spaces occupied by every shade of militant and terrorist group. The tribal areas have been and still are the battleground for the future of Pakistan. The army launched a full-fledged army operation — Rah-e-Nijaat — in South Waziristan against the Taliban surge in 2009 and is now fighting the formidable militants in North Waziristan Tribal Agency. In essence, what becomes of the tribal areas will not just determine the future of this country but the entire region and arguably the world. This is why we are now seeing a renewed interest by the army in what will take shape in Waziristan as time moves along. The building of such roads is not just of paramount importance for the extension and development of economic ties, it is also a very important strategic tool, designed to make official, military movement easier and without threat. Roads such as these, built into the rugged terrain that has been home to and provided the militants with safe havens will make it tougher for the enemy to travel because these roads and corridors will be officially manned and checked. No travel can occur on the Central Trade Corridor without the prior knowledge of the military. The army knows the importance of such routes and may use this one internally for the logistical transport of artillery and heavy weapons sorely needed to root out the terror threat.

South Waziristan is relatively quiet, not as polluted anymore by the militant scourge as it was before the 2009 army operation. That is why this tribal agency has been chosen to initiate this rather ambitious but necessary step. Whatever the steps that need to be taken and whatever the future of our relations with Afghanistan now, it is truly hoped that it will be a future lined with good intentions and the spectre of militant ire remain nothing more than a distant bad taste in the mouth. *