Dr.Hasnat
SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Afghanistan and Pakistan are unique neighbours and share some interesting commonalities even more than what European countries share among them. The two have common religion, culture, language, civilization and a shared history. In addition to that, the most binding feature of this relationship is the historical spiritual or the Sufi bond. Several learned and devout Sufis came from Ghazni, Herat, Balkh and other parts of Afghanistan to Punjab and Sindh to preach Islam.
However, having all these strengths, the relations between two neighbors remained at lowthroughout the history. Although prior to the soviet invasion of Afghanistan the ties were not very smooth but after the invasion in late 1979 the two came into direct conformation.
After 9/11, Pak–Afghan relationship took a new dimension where Karzai Government, Taliban factor, Al Qaeda emerging influence, Pak-US cooperation onWar on Terror have made the whole scenario very complicated and mistrust was the hall mark of the day. Although former President Hamid Karzai paid a number of visits to Pakistan and similarly, Pakistan leadership visited Kabul to bridge the gap and to resolve the contentious issues lurking between them, but no concrete results were gained rather at certain point of time the relationship worsened at the lowest level.
Amidst in all these uncertain ground realities there appeared a silver lining when taking oath, the new President of Afghanistan, Muhammad Ashraf Ghani declared peace and reconciliation with his neighbours as his topmost priority and promised to demonstrate tangible progression during his first six month in office. President Ghani seems very eager to open a new chapter of its relationship with neighbors particularly Pakistan. During the fourth Heart of Asia conference in Beijing last month he was very explicit and told that his interactions with partners will be based on productive dialogues and mutual respect, avoiding blame games. Similarly during his recent meeting with Gen Raheel Sharif, Pakistan Army Chief, Ghani told that friendly relations with Pakistan are in line with Afghanistan’s strategic interests. Pakistan has too reiterated its support to the new Afghan Government to end more than a decade long violence in that country. Pakistan supports a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan. President Ghani has expressed his ability and determination to exploit Afghanistan’s strategic location to pacify tension in South Asia. Instead of being a point of conflict and rivalries, Afghanistan can be a bridge of peace and hope in their troubled areas.
At the moment, both the leaders appear to be on same page to develop a friendly and peaceful relationship. To fulfill what they promised during their election campaign, both have to show tangible results with respect to peace and economic development.Once these political and security issues are settled, economics of both the countries will flourish andultimate beneficiaries will be the common men who suffered the most.
The friendly posture displayed by both the leaders has generated optimistic feelings and there appears a hope of living peacefully without any fear whatsoever. Now the question is: can the future be different from the past? Yes it can be. One must reject the determinist position that any two states with common problems will always remain at odds with each other.The historical evidence from other parts of the world is very different. States with a history of conflicting interests can be friends, good neighbours and even partners. What really make the difference in such cases are the vision, courage, and role of leaders to determine a new future. It is always the leaders who change the course of history. Others from civil society, can contribute with fresh ideas, push for change through activism and highlight the costs and benefits of policies.
With such a complex security environment in which multiple state and non-state actors with conflicting interests are operating in and around Pakistan andAfghanistan, the reason for bringing both the statestogether are very much compelling. Undeniably, both share a common interest in defeating militancy – the armed struggles that various groups are engaged in on ethnic, sectarian and political grounds. It has now generally been realized on both sides of the borders that these militant groups have transnational connections and thus pose a transnational security threat. The sooner this realization translates itself into concrete policy framework, the better it is for the future security of the two countries.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
