The recent Heart of Asia Conference/Istanbul Process was an attempt to bridge the existing gap between Asian partners and stakeholders with the greater objectivity of attainment of regional peace and development goals. Together with its 14 members, 17 supporting countries and 11 regional and international organisations, the Istanbul Process has become a unique framework, which demands sincere and productive cooperation for a stable, flourishing Afghanistan in particular and regional prosperity in general.
The Heart of Asia/Istanbul Process is a structured arrangement initiated through the procedures of holding a sequence of conferences held in Istanbul in 2011, in Kabul in 2012, in Almaty in 2013, in Beijing in 2014, in Islamabad in 2015 and India, which will host the process for the year 2016. Having particular focus on mutual efforts and cooperation for the development of Afghanistan, the Heart of Asia stresses to strive for the exploration of a variety of result-oriented opportunities necessary for closer ties for mutual benefit through bilateral trade, economic cooperation, energy, education, regional infrastructure development projects and a collective response to counter the common threats of counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and disaster management issues.
The focal point of the Heart of Asia Conference was the replication of the longing to endorse regional development and enhanced bilateral trade interactions, mutual economic gains and to address the security challenges, all of which are essential for a progressive and productive environment, which in turn will enhance the quality of life of the region’s people and bring tremendous employment opportunities for all of them.
For curbing the menace of terrorism all the regional countries have to cooperate with one another, which means intelligence sharing and a willingness to hold frequent dialogue and negotiations. The greater role of Pakistan for national, regional and international security through the many sacrifices it has made in men and honour has been evident in the military operation called Zarb-e-Azb. The National Action Plan (NAP) reflects a zero tolerance policy that will not allow extremism to flourish in Pakistan. These are the unflinching vows to eliminate the roots of terrorism once and for all but the civilian government needs to own NAP and make it a priority manifesto. Too much time has elapsed and not enough has been done on this front.
For once, the current political and military leaderships in Pakistan are on the same page realising the fact that economic development is closely associated with peace and stability in the country as well as in the region. Given, the landlocked position of Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries, Pakistan has an important geopolitical position through which it intends to present an exceptional trade opportunity for Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Pakistan is committed to playing its role in the Afghan reconciliation process for durable peace in the region and realises the importance of its association with China, and understands that the US is instrumental in achieving these goals. The split in Taliban ranks triggered after the death of Mullah Omer shattered the process of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban but, through the constant efforts of the US, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and particularly Pakistan, the possible resumption of the peace process and consequent stability are still a ray of hope for the enduring peace goals of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the dream of durable peace can only be achieved through concrete steps to curb the flow of money generated through drug-trafficking and organised crime. The Afghan leadership under the unity government is also striving for the development of a mechanism of regional cooperation to thwart the means and resources that enable the penetration of terrorists into society and believes in the need of a joint process aimed at the elimination of terrorism and extremism.
The most important issue remains the question on how initiatives like the Heart of Asia/Istanbul Process and their associated desired development goals can be achieved through meaningful negotiation between regional states in order to settle their core issues and long lasting disputes. Particular focus is needed for Afghanistan. All the developed nations must stand for industrial development, better education and employment within and abroad, social and political coherence particularly through international scholarships, foreign exposure of the Afghan youth, better training and equipment facilitation of the Afghan National Army and, of course, peace talks must be expedited.
The sovereignty and the national integrity of Afghanistan are the only guarantee of regional peace and development, therefore regional countries and the international community must strive through collective efforts and continue its support Afghanistan so that a politically, economically and militarily stable Afghanistan is made possible, not the kind of Afghanistan that has become a liability for other regional countries.
The writer works for the Strategic Vision Institute, Islamabad and can be reached at [email protected]