Daily Times

In a weekly media briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Thursday that there was no role for India in the Afghan peace process. This was in contrast to the position taken by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi a month ago while speaking to lawmakers in the Parliament.

Speaking at the National Assembly, Qureshi had said, “since India is present in Afghanistan, its cooperation in this regard will also be required.”

The Afghan peace process has entered a crucial juncture with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visiting neighbouring states including Pakistan and India. At this stage, the FO must tread very carefully, meaning its public positions should be well thought out and there should be complete coherence in statements made by the minister and his team.

While the FO spokesperson is right in criticising India for its excesses along the Line of Control (LoC), he and his team must not let the situation along the eastern border influence their assessment of the Afghan end game. The latter is going to be a multi-stakeholder process which has already been acknowledged by the Foreign Minister so there is no need for unnecessary bravado.

Regardless of the actors involved, Pakistan must continue its cooperative approach and help ensure reconciliation leading to peace in the war-torn country. That is in our best interest as well since ill-planned policies of the past have already taken a heavy toll on Pakistani economy. In particular, tribal districts and other areas along the Pak-Afghan border have endured great hardship. Additionally, there has been the suffering of Afghan refugees who have been hosted by Pakistan. While many refugee families have been settled in Pakistan for generations, and their cases must be dealt with in accordance with international norms, there may still be others who seek peace to return in their homeland to return. Their desires must be factored in by all stakeholders.

While we’re at it, we must bear in mind that no external actor can dictate any terms to Kabul. Ultimately, it will be Kabul’s decision to engage with states in the region and the globe, be it India or any other country. For us, the bottom-line has to be: i) our own internal security, and, ii) regional peace. To achieve this, we will have to listen to Kabul’s grievances just as we will expect the latter to address our concerns.

A longstanding concern of Islamabad and Kabul has been regarding safe havens on both sides of the border from where non-state actors operate. Pakistan has attained a lot of progress in clearing areas on its side over the years, but it must consider this as a dynamic process, meaning that it will need to remain in constant contact with Kabul so that any and all militants who target Afghan government can be dealt with promptly. Similarly, Kabul will have to take action against anti-Pakistan groups operating from its territory. This reciprocity will go a long way in building trust between the two neighbors. *

Published in Daily Times, January 19^th 2019.