Daily Times

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani of late has been accusing Pakistan of supporting and abetting terrorism in Afghanistan by providing sanctuaries to the militant outfits on its soil, and it has almost become visceral for him to raise an accusing finger towards Pakistan whenever an attack occurs in Afghanistan. Pakistan invariably has been denying any involvement citing its zero-tolerance against terrorist outfits and indiscriminate action against them through Operation Zarb-e-Azb. But his joining hands with India to malign Pakistan, as he did during the Heart of Asia Conference, was indeed an act of extreme hostility that might scuttle the efforts of reconciliation in Afghanistan itself, besides exacerbating relations between the two countries.

The Advisor to the Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz in his discourse rightly emphasised the need for a cooperative effort to deal with the phenomenon of terrorism and avoiding the blame game which was not going to help in grappling with the permeating situation. The reality is that while Pakistan has taken effective and credible measures to tackle terrorist outfits, Afghanistan has failed to extend reciprocal cooperation as its territory is being used by the TTP for attacks within Pakistan. The way forward in dealing with the scourge of terrorism is the removal of the ambience of mistrust between the two countries and an honest, collaborative effort to bring peace in Afghanistan which is a fundamental imperative to ensure peace and security in the region, including Pakistan.

The veracity of the Pakistan’s claims of indiscriminate action against terrorist outfits was acknowledged by none other than the top US commander in Afghanistan, General John F Campbell, in a written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in October which said, “Senior Pakistan military officers have repeatedly declared that they can no long discriminate between ‘good and bad’ terrorists. They appear to be taking meaningful actions to back up their words.” His statement also actively negates Afghanistan’s perception of Pakistan having to do anything with the escalation in military confrontation within Afghanistan. General Campbell also made a very pertinent point in regards to the indispensability of Pakistan in regards to peace in Afghanistan. Noting that considerable obstacles existed between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were likely to persist past 2016, he felt that the common threat of violent extremism could still serve as a catalyst to improve cooperation between the two countries. According to him, before nudging reconciliation with Taliban, rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan has to occur first, and the fight against terrorism and terrorist outfits needed concerted Pak-Afghan efforts. What he said more or less conforms to the Pakistani view on resolving the conflict. Pakistan, it may be pertinent to mention, regards the Taliban offensive against the Afghan government as an act of terrorism and it was unequivocally stated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Afghanistan when the Taliban had announced to launch it.

It is pertinent to mention that apart from Operation Zarb-e-Azb, Pakistan, given the prevailing situation and the aura of uncertainty, has also taken the right step of strengthening border management to check cross-border movement. Pakistan and Afghanistan have 2500 kilometre long porous border. Therefore, Afghanistan would be well advised to take a similar action on its side of the border if it really was interested in checking the cross-border movement of the terrorists, rather than hurling unwarranted allegations against Pakistan.

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, a think tank, has appreciated this step by Pakistan saying, “The latest move by Pakistan is appreciated. Afghanistan should also welcome this as an effectively managed border equally takes care of the security issues faced by Afghanistan. The internal and external threats faced by Pakistan from the unauthorized crossing of the Durand-line unequivocally calls for effective border management.”

As rightly observed by General Campbell, for any rapprochement in Afghanistan, Pakistan was indispensable, and it was essential to have the differences between the two countries resolved to ensure the success of the other initiatives aimed at bringing peace in Afghanistan. In my view, that role can best be played by the US. The US and the NATO also need to put pressure on India to restrain RAW from sponsoring cross the border attacks. The US must also help both the countries to evolve a joint strategy to check cross-border attacks, backed by other regional countries like China and Russia.

There is also a need for discouraging Indo-Afghan collaboration against Pakistan as it is fraught with great dangers and might consign the region to perennial instability. Pakistan would not mind the development of bilateral relations between Afghanistan and India, but it would and should not allow the two countries to develop a sinister alliance to undermine Pakistan’s interests in the region and its efforts to fight terrorism. The US must not neglect the ground realities, and therefore, refrain from assigning a greater role to India in Afghanistan and attempting to keep Pakistan out of the loop. The revival of the trilateral dialogue between Afghanistan, India and US for finding a solution the Afghan conundrum, as announced by the US Secretary of State
during his last visit to India, aims at just that and runs counter to the objectives of Quadrilateral Initiative.

The Afghan rulers also need to understand that Pakistan probably has the biggest stake in peace and stability in Afghanistan, and would be the last country even to entertain the thought of destabilising Afghanistan at its own peril. Stability and peace in Afghanistan mean peace and stability in Pakistan. Both the countries have suffered tremendously at the hands of the terrorists and do have a strong common cause in this regard. The scourge of terrorism and other lurking dangers make it absolutely imperative for the two countries to forge impregnable unity against these threats, and not allow the forces inimical to this cooperation to sabotage the amity between them. That is the course dictated by historical and geographical realities and the centuries old religious and cultural bonds between the two countries. History and geographical realities cannot be reversed.

India must also revisit its policy of unending hostility towards Pakistan and attempts to isolate her at the international level as the persistent war cry against Pakistan could have severe boomerang effect for herself and the entire region. Peace and security in the region, which is absolutely in the interests of both the countries, can be ensured through the resolution of all disputes between them, including Kashmir, through an honest dialogue and refraining from building anti-Pakistan alliances. Neither the freedom struggle of the Kashmiris can be subdued through brutal force, nor the atrocities against them hidden from the international community through diversionary antics. Realities need to be accepted, and appropriate solutions found to resolve them amicably.

The writer is a retired diplomat, a freelance columnist, and a member of the visiting faculty of the Riphah Institute of Media Sciences, Riphah International University Islamabad. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com