Daily Times

Earlier this week, a serving agent of Afghanistan’s premier intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), was caught by Pakistan military near the Chaman border, in Balochistan. The agent was caught entering Pakistan without any travel documents, and was allegedly on a scouting mission on behalf of the NDS. Military officials claimed that the agent was already under close surveillance, and was a regular ‘visitor’ ostensibly to help his Baloch ‘rebel friends’. Multiple sources, reportedly, have indicated that the NDS is allegedly backed by the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The significance of the agent’s arrest is huge, as intelligence agencies have beefed up their counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism operations across Pakistan. The nabbing of an alleged RAW official, Kulbushan Jhadav, and further containment of armed NDS and RAW agents a couple of weeks ago, demonstrate that Pakistan is committed to resolve its internal security issues. In October 2013, the New York Times published a story in which it was alleged that some NDS officials were in cahoots with the Pakistani Taliban, and that they held secret meetings in Kabul. It was further alleged that these officials were caught red-handed by US forces due to which the NDS-Pakistani Taliban nexus got compromised.

This is quite important given what has happened during the last three years. Pakistan apparently managed to gather enough evidence of this nexus that pointed back to New Delhi’s indirect role in spreading terrorism across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Balochistan and Karachi. The logistics of spreading terrorism were controlled from Kabul and Indian intelligence officials were allegedly handling both NDS field officers and Pakistani Taliban leadership through the premises of the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

Kabul-Islamabad and Islamabad-New Delhi relations are already tense over multiple factors with Kabul’s blame-game against Pakistan, and Pakistan’s role apparently being futile for the Afghan peace process. The Heart of Asia Summit being held in different Asian capitals, since its inception at Istanbul, showed some hope of establishing peace in Afghanistan. Furthermore, the formation of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) was an important step in this regard that aimed in bringing the Afghan Taliban to peace talks. Pakistan’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has publicly stated that Pakistan cannot dictate the Afghan Taliban on its own terms but can try persuading them to work for peace in the region.

The recent visit of a Taliban delegation to Karachi for talks with Afghan government officials points out that the QCG is trying hard for establishing peace. However, the constant blame-game politics being played out and the alleged dubious nexus between NDS, RAW and some militant groups in Pakistan are holding back a smooth plan for long-term peace and prosperity in the region.

Peace should be given a chance in the region and blame-game politics must come to an end as the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan have suffered a great deal from the war on terror. President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan must bring the saboteurs of peace to justice, and let the environment of mistrust be replaced by open-mindedness and willingness to work with government of Pakistan to bring peace to a war-ravaged Afghanistan. Both the governments owe this to the long-suffering Afghans, and the short and long term peace and stability of their countries and the region. *