WHEN Afghan President Ashraf Ghani assumed office back in 2014, there was renewed hope for an improvement in Pak-Afghan ties, as he had pledged to prioritize their relationship and to work closely to overcome a growing trust deficit.
There has only been disappointment since then. In a recent statement, Ghani has called managing bilateral relations with Pakistan a bigger challenge for Afghanistan than terror groups, such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban. To restore trust between the two sides and enhance future cooperation, Ghani also presented his three point agenda.
Ghani’s first demand is for Pakistan to take indiscriminate action against all terrorist outfits. While the Afghan government has appreciated Pakistan’s military operation to hunt down militants, it has repeatedly accused the country of inaction against Haqqani network and Pakistan-based Taliban, who are blamed for widespread violence in Afghanistan. Even the US has linked military aid for Pakistan to action against the Haqqani network and other insurgent groups allegedly operating from Pakistan to launch attacks in Afghanistan. The harsh reality that some Taliban leadership is based in Pakistan with families and freely seek medical facilities in hospitals, as also acknowledged by Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, makes the situation tricky for Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan must back its words with actions and show concrete evidence that it is sincere in its commitment against terrorism. In case the Pakistan-based Taliban leadership oppose peace moves, the Afghans want them to be expelled from Pakistan as well.
The Ghani government is also pressuring Pakistan to act on the quadrilateral process and bring both reconcilable and irreconcilable groups on the negotiating table. Pakistan had played a leading role in brokering peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban, but since then the peace process has faced numerous setbacks, including killing of Taliban chief Mansour in a US drone strike. Encouraged by gains in the spring offensive, the Taliban have snubbed calls for any settlement and reacted fiercely to avenge Mansour’s killing. The future of a dialogue has become increasingly blurred as it remains unclear who will represent the Taliban in further discussions and whether they would be interested in pursuing the process at all.
Based on Pakistan’s perceived influence over the Taliban, the Afghan government and the US are rather unfairly putting the responsibility of the peace process squarely on Pakistan. With the Taliban breaking into several factions, it seems that Pakistan can exert only limited pressure on them. At best, Pakistan and other countries should be expected to only facilitate the peace talks. Key outcomes of the process will depend on flexibility demonstrated by Ghani and the Taliban.
Unfortunately, the weak Afghan government is struggling for its own survival due to political infighting, ill-equipped security forces and poor governance. Therefore, in this present situation, the Afghan government has chosen to making Pakistan a scapegoat and responsible for slow progress of the peace process.
It is quite evident that both Afghanistan and Pakistan remain deeply suspicious of each other and this mutual mistrust is driving renewed frictions in their ties. Without overcoming this gap, regional peace, security and prosperity would remain a far-fetched dream. Peace in Afghanistan will not come instantly — it will be a game of patience, political willingness and building trust.
There has only been disappointment since then. In a recent statement, Ghani has called managing bilateral relations with Pakistan a bigger challenge for Afghanistan than terror groups, such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban. To restore trust between the two sides and enhance future cooperation, Ghani also presented his three point agenda.
Ghani’s first demand is for Pakistan to take indiscriminate action against all terrorist outfits. While the Afghan government has appreciated Pakistan’s military operation to hunt down militants, it has repeatedly accused the country of inaction against Haqqani network and Pakistan-based Taliban, who are blamed for widespread violence in Afghanistan. Even the US has linked military aid for Pakistan to action against the Haqqani network and other insurgent groups allegedly operating from Pakistan to launch attacks in Afghanistan. The harsh reality that some Taliban leadership is based in Pakistan with families and freely seek medical facilities in hospitals, as also acknowledged by Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, makes the situation tricky for Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan must back its words with actions and show concrete evidence that it is sincere in its commitment against terrorism. In case the Pakistan-based Taliban leadership oppose peace moves, the Afghans want them to be expelled from Pakistan as well.
The Ghani government is also pressuring Pakistan to act on the quadrilateral process and bring both reconcilable and irreconcilable groups on the negotiating table. Pakistan had played a leading role in brokering peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban, but since then the peace process has faced numerous setbacks, including killing of Taliban chief Mansour in a US drone strike. Encouraged by gains in the spring offensive, the Taliban have snubbed calls for any settlement and reacted fiercely to avenge Mansour’s killing. The future of a dialogue has become increasingly blurred as it remains unclear who will represent the Taliban in further discussions and whether they would be interested in pursuing the process at all.
Based on Pakistan’s perceived influence over the Taliban, the Afghan government and the US are rather unfairly putting the responsibility of the peace process squarely on Pakistan. With the Taliban breaking into several factions, it seems that Pakistan can exert only limited pressure on them. At best, Pakistan and other countries should be expected to only facilitate the peace talks. Key outcomes of the process will depend on flexibility demonstrated by Ghani and the Taliban.
Unfortunately, the weak Afghan government is struggling for its own survival due to political infighting, ill-equipped security forces and poor governance. Therefore, in this present situation, the Afghan government has chosen to making Pakistan a scapegoat and responsible for slow progress of the peace process.
It is quite evident that both Afghanistan and Pakistan remain deeply suspicious of each other and this mutual mistrust is driving renewed frictions in their ties. Without overcoming this gap, regional peace, security and prosperity would remain a far-fetched dream. Peace in Afghanistan will not come instantly — it will be a game of patience, political willingness and building trust.
