Daily Times

In an interview with a private Pakistani TV channel last week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani emphasised the importance of historic bonds between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the need for both to work together to fight terrorism. But in the same breath he asserted that state-to-state relations with Pakistan were a bigger challenge for Afghanistan than the existence of terror groups such as al-Qaeda and Taliban. He claimed that Pakistan provided sanctuaries to terrorists and trained them. He also indulged in a similar diatribe against Pakistan on the eve of NATO Summit in Brussels, when he said that Pakistan continued to distinguish between bad and good Taliban. The tone and tenor of his allegations was very much similar to the US administration, which has persistently held this view notwithstanding its acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the war on terror, and the determination with which Pakistan has carried out Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan.

Based on Ghani’s perceptions in regard to Pakistan allegedly playing a double game, he also presented a three-point formula that according to his estimation could help in improving relations between the two countries and fighting the scourge of terrorism. He suggested that Pakistan must go after declared terrorist groups to win Afghanistan’s trust, and that Pakistan should act on the quadrilateral process regarding reconcilable and irreconcilable groups, and those who reject peace talks should be evacuated from its soil. He seems to suggest unilateral action by Pakistan to remove the ambience of mistrust whereas a similar action by the Afghan government and the US is also needed to win the trust of the Pakistan government.

Pakistan also feels that the Afghan government has not taken any credible action against operatives of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based on its soil, and for the arrest of Mullah Fazlullah, who used Afghanistan territory for planning and executing terrorist attacks — Army Public School, Budabher and Bacha Khan University — within Pakistan. Afghanistan has not responded in a positive manner to the border-management proposition despite several interactions between the two countries at the highest level, and their intelligence outfits on intelligence sharing and commitment not to allow their respective territories to be used for attack across
the border.

When Pakistan launched the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, it formally requested the Afghan government to take care of the border so that TTP operatives and their leadership could not escape to Afghanistan, but unfortunately, the level of cooperation that was expected never materialised, with the result that many TTP leaders crossed over to Afghanistan and have been executing terrorist acts within Pakistan. Not only that, the Afghan intelligence DNS and Indian RAW have been supporting TTP in carrying out terrorist escapades in Pakistan. The deputy leader of Taliban, Latifullah Mehsud, who was caught by NATO forces in Afghanistan in October 2013 while he was returning after a meeting with high-level Afghan functionaries, confessed the nexus between the two intelligence agencies and their support
to TTP.

Unfortunately, this ambience of mutual mistrust has been the main stumbling block in forging a credible cooperation between the two countries to fight the phenomenon of terrorism, though Pakistan on its part has taken a number of steps to prove its sincerity of purpose and commitment to promote the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan, and tackling the scourge of terrorism that has profound bearing on peace and security in both the countries. Pakistan rightly maintains that most of the groups fighting in Afghanistan were indigenous entities, and there was a wrong perception that Pakistan in any way was helping them. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, in an interview with PTV, recently said that the US wanted Pakistan to act against the Afghan Taliban but Pakistan could not fight Afghanistan’s war on its own soil. Haqqaqnis are Afghans and the Operation Zarb-e-Azb has been carried out indiscriminately against all terrorist outfits to dismantle their infrastructure. Security establishment of Pakistan has repeatedly expressed resolve to make sure that nobody from Pakistan’s side crossed over to Afghanistan to indulge in terrorist acts. COAS General Raheel Sharif, reportedly, has ordered all military commanders to strictly follow the initiative. That reflects the determination and commitment of Pakistan to eliminate terrorism from both the countries. It is perhaps pertinent to point out that it was actually Pakistan that was the force behind the formation of the quadrilateral initiative that Ashraf Ghani has mentioned in his discourse.

There is no denying the fact that both Pakistan and Afghanistan need each other’s cooperation in fighting terrorism and restoring peace in both the countries whose destinies are inextricably linked. Nobody can change geographical realities. Arguably, Pakistan needs peace in Afghanistan more than any other stakeholder in peace and security in the region. It has suffered the most in the war against terrorism, and is convinced that there can be no peace in Pakistan unless there is peace in Afghanistan. Under the circumstances, entertaining doubts about its sincerity in promoting the peace process is very regrettable and is not going to help. So long as this mistrust persists, no headway can be made in nudging the process of dialogue between Taliban and the Afghan government.

The US in spite of its military might has failed to subdue Taliban. Pakistan rightly believes that the solution to the Afghan conundrum lay in settlement through dialogue with both sides showing flexibility and spirit of accommodation. Pakistan can only help in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table provided the Afghan government and the US show necessary change in their disposition towards Taliban, and are ready to offer something tangible to them to lure them to come to the negotiating table.

In my view, the US can play a vital role in ending mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as having its own misgivings about Pakistan removed through a trilateral interaction between US, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mutual grievances, complaints and evidence should be shared, and an acceptable mechanism should be evolved for an effective border management, cooperation at military level, sharing of intelligence and action against terrorists based on both sides of the border, coinciding with renewed efforts by
the quadrilateral forum within the
agreed framework.

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