In a historic visit to Pakistan, the newly elected President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan showed a resolve to renew ties with Pakistan and strengthen cooperation in all areas for a more prosperous future. The meeting between Ghani and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seemed to have gone well — there were smiles all around, the Afghan president was called a “dear brother” and the two leaders even attended an exhibition cricket match between their countries. The visit omens well for diplomatic relations between the two neighbors, who suffered a strained relationship under the Karzai regime in Afghanistan. Although the civilian governments have shown a willingness to forget the past and move on, a major focus of their ties is likely to be based on security cooperation in the foreseeable time.
In this respect, Ghani also held crucial talks with Gen. Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s military leader, about the security situation along their common border. Pakistan is engaged in a full-fledged war to flush out militants from the mountainous border regions, but relations with Afghanistan have often soured on the allegations that on-the-run terrorists find safe havens in the Afghan territory. By forging a stronger security partnership with Afghanistan, Pakistan is hoping to crush the menace of terrorism from its soil. At the same time, Pakistan fully realizes that peace and stability in the country cannot be achieved till there is calm in Afghanistan.
Gen. Raheel Sharif has made high profile visits to both Afghanistan and the US to understand the fragile Afghan situation in the backdrop of imminent US departure from the region. The US and Pakistan relations may be characterized by mistrust and deep suspicion about each other, but there is no second opinion on criticality of engaging Pakistan on the Afghan situation. All stakeholders have seemed to have learned valuable lessons from history and are working closely to ensure that chaos and civil war does not return to Afghanistan after US withdrawal. Emerging power players, like India and China, are also keen to step up efforts for Afghan reconstruction efforts and gain a more pivotal role in shaping dynamics of the region.
Pakistan has offered Afghanistan new opportunities in the areas of trade, military training and hardware, and support in rebuilding the country. Close cooperation between the two sides has the potential to increase regional stability if hardcore militants are wiped off and other flexible Taleban factions brought to the negotiation table. A less hostile Afghan government will help Pakistan to counter the growing Indian diplomatic influence in Afghanistan. The equation will not be so simple, though, as Pakistan’s ex-President Musharraf fears that proxy wars and conflict may well continue to haunt Afghanistan in future as well. He is of the opinion that there “is another danger for the whole region and for Pakistan because Indian involvement there has an anti-Pakistan connotation. They (India) want to create an anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.”
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan should develop a broader relationship based on mutual interests and not allow themselves to be used as pawns in any regional power struggle. They should brace for a future free from western involvement and work together for sustainable progress.
