Daily Times

Before the ink on Kabul’s emphatic apology over a cross-border attack at Chaman could dry, as many as eight Pakistanis bore the brunt of yet another spate of shelling on Thursday. Conservative estimates suggest one civilian was killed as a result while many of the 15 injured reached Quetta Civil Hospital in critical condition. However, the next-door neighbour had a different ace up its sleeve this time. No more regret or promise of immediate action echoes in the mountaintops and Afghan officials have pinned the blame on Pakistan for the latest in the aggressive string.

The about-turn in their narrative leaves both Defence Minister Khwaja Asif and The Foreign Office in a sticky situation, who had only days ago apprised the parliament regarding the resolve to not let such a heartwrenching episode repeat itself. Would Pakistan continue to act brotherly towards a country that is making use of every small window to throw in fiery daggers in desperation to leave the most brutal mark? That Pakistan has long suffered as the absolute punching bag of whoever perches atop the red seat in its west, largely due to resentments fuelled by our administration’s misplaced priorities and an eminent messiah complex that wished to cleanse the doorstep of all things unIslamic would be an understatement.

The Taliban regime, on one end, wishes to have a sympathetic ear in Islamabad, so that their case for official recognition in the international community and frozen funds can be pursued. But the last few months have seen an unrelenting downpour of seething fumes as Pakistan has been accused of “feeding off the Afghan conflict” to fill its empty coffers.

So much so that Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Abbas Stanekzai even waved a menacing finger in an official statement and thundered: If we rise against this, no one will be able to stop us.” The resurgence of militancy and its determination in orchestrating the goriest spectacle of its might and muscle is constantly being pushed to the back bench as the Taliban regime is in no mood to honour its lofty commitments.

Why Pakistan should continue to play on the defence and in a Good Samaritan spirit is a multi-million dollar question that not only tugs at the resolve of the civilian state but also the new occupant of military leadership. We cannot be expected to turn the other cheek and actually invite them to slap us even harder. At the end of the day, the desire to establish stable ties with Afghanistan and its strategic merits should not be worth bothering about when the life and security of your own countrymen hang in the balance. *