In a recent diplomatic move,
Pakistan government has established active contacts with Kabul in wake of
bombings that killed dozens across Afghanistan. Other than Sartaj Aziz, Advisor
to the PM on Foreign Affairs, and from the Foreign Office levels, the new Chief
of Staff of Pakistan Army also contacted first his Afghan counterpart and then
the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani. His phone calls have apparently helped lower
the tensions as President Afghraf Ghani thanked Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa while the
world has also appreciated the goodwill gesture extended to Afghanistan, yet
again.
This came in wake of stepped up violence by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Up to 30
people were killed and 80 wounded in twin bombings near the Parliament in Kabul.
Blasts at the Governor's guesthouse in Kandahar killed at least 11 and injured
14 including the UAE ambassador. Earlier, in Helmand province a Taliban suicide
bomber targeted a guesthouse used by an intelligence official, killing at least
seven people. The Taliban said they carried out the attack. Most of the victims
in the attacks in the capital were said to be civilians, including the
parliament staff. The target of the attack, also claimed by the Taliban, was a
guesthouse used by a provincial intelligence official in Lashkar Gah, the
provincial capital.
Afghanistan welcomed the Pentagon's decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to
Helmand, where the American forces engaged in heated combat until they pulled
out in 2014. The Marines will head to the poppy-growing province this spring to
assist a NATO-led mission to train the Afghan forces, in the latest sign that
foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the worsening conflict.
NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but the US forces
were granted greater powers in June to strike armed groups as President Barack
Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign.
Police chief Gen Abdul Raziq said notorious Haqqani terrorist network, with the
support of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), was behind the deadly
attack on Governor’s compound. Speaking during a press conference, Gen. Raziq
blamed Pakistan, Haqqani network and ISI for working since a long period of time
to target the provincial leadership. However, the Taliban militant group has
already denied any involvement in the attack and blamed the officials for having
internal disputes, accused them of plotting and carrying out the explosion.
It is questionable however as to what was the UAE ambassador, along with five
other UAE officials, doing there and how could the NDS official who took the
ambassador there escape the blast unhurt? Observers believe that the inclusion
of UAE officials was aimed at cashing in on the UAE Crown Prince’s upcoming
Delhi visit while severing its ties with Pakistan. And there are elements in
Afghanistan government who are playing in the hands of the Indians, including
the NDS. Former NDS chief Amrullah Saleh is amongst the frontrunner
anti-Pakistan campaigners who seem to be more antagonists than pragmatists. This
seemingly gives impression that Afghanistan is closing the doors of regional
cooperation and reconciliation, gradually though, which includes Pakistan.
Afghanistan is of the habit of holding the Pakistan military responsible for the
continued Taliban violence in Afghanistan. Afghan officials also accuse Pakistan
of controlling much of what the Afghan Taliban do, including ordering terror
attacks inside Afghanistan. If Pakistan continues to deny any involvement with
all this Afghanistan is threatening to take the matter to the UN and other
international tribunals. The Taliban continue to target judges, senior
politicians and army and police commanders. This is pure intimidation against
prominent people who will not cooperate with, or at least stop opposing, the
Taliban and the drug gangs.
The United States has turned down Afghan requests for more American troops and
especially more air support. The US repeated that it will keep 10,000 troops in
Afghanistan through the end of 2016 and 5,500 in 2017. The Americans also said
they would continue funding the Afghan security forces through 2020. The Afghan
government cannot support the current force of 320,000 soldiers and police with
taxes. The Afghans point out that without continued aid for their security
forces the drug gangs will continue to fund the Taliban and keep their heroin
production going. Currently Afghanistan is the largest supplier of heroin in the
world and the drug gangs want a government that cooperates with them, like the
Taliban government did in the 1990s.
The United States has increased its use of UAVs in Afghanistan and supplied
Afghanistan with more warplanes and helicopters. The US has also helped train
more pilots and ground support personnel. As a result the Afghan Air Force is
flying more combat missions. In mid-April the Afghans set a new record when
their fixed wing aircraft and armed helicopters flew 83 combat missions in 24
hours. All this will change if the United States cuts all military and financial
support by 2020.
Afghanistan has always tried to blame Pakistan somehow or the other. Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani has also resorted to using allegations against Pakistan
regarding its commitment and honesty to the Afghan peace process. While accusing
Pakistan for the apparent stalemate in the talks, President Ghani even in the
past said that it was largely because Pakistan has adopted a discriminatory
approach and is keeping a distinction of good and bad Taliban and showing
leniency towards them. According to him, such a policy by Pakistani leadership
is reflective of its half hearted pledge to making the peace process successful.
While President Ghani may have his reasons, right or wrong, to doubt Pakistan,
one can’t help but wonder why Afghan leadership is so distrustful of Pakistan’s
effort.
In a period less than two weeks the Pakistan authorities have contacted the
Afghanistan administration; only the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
has called twice – once his counterpart and on January 14 he phoned President
Ashraf Ghani to not only condemn the attacks and condoled the deaths, but also
to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan peace. “Elements inimical to peace
in the region are strengthened by blame game. No safe havens (for terrorists) in
Pakistan,” an ISPR press release quoted the COAS as telling the Afghan
president.
During the conversation the COAS suggested that blame game was not in favour of
both the countries and emphasized that Pakistan has come a long way in its fight
against terrorism of all hue and clolor, eliminating all safe havens in the
process. General Qamar Bajwa suggested that both nations should focus on
capitalizing upon the gains of successful Zarb-e-Azb operation carried out
against terrorists in Pakistan. He also said a robust border management
mechanism and intelligence cooperation will put a halt to-and-fro movement of
terrorists across the border.
Hence Afghanistan needs to end its obsession with blaming and suspecting
Pakistan every now and then for its efforts. It’s not just the RAW operating on
the Afghan soil, working against the interest of both Pakistan and Afghanistan
but there are several local Afghans who do not support any initiative taken by
Pakistan. Doubting and distrusting Pakistan is not going to resolve the
situation. No one can deny that Pakistan has its stakes in Afghanistan. The need
to have a functional and progressing neighbor along its Western border is not
only going to be of great benefit to Pakistan but will also add to the regional
stability.
The need of the hour is to devise a trust building mechanism where such kind of
statements should especially be avoided to be pronounced on the international
platforms. Otherwise the recurring hurling of blames only emphasizes the fact
that Afghanistan is itself more responsible for the hiccups in the peace process
and for jeopardizing the future prospects of its success. Pakistani government
should deal with such situations at two levels: , it should come up with a good
verbal response and emphatically refute these unfound allegations.