SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two bordering neighbours which are linked in sustained relations based on identical culture, traditions and above all Islamic fraternity. Living Pashtoon majority populations on both sides of the borders the two nations have common feelings, ideologies and modes of thinking regarding the evolving regional situation and its possible solution. Since the establishment of Pakistan relations at public level have been very ideal but at government level these ties have witnessed many ups and downs.
It was Durand Line issue which created skepticism and shrouded the bilateral linkages in the very preliminary days of the emergence of Pakistan, and the same led to strong opposition to the admission of Pakistan’s membership to the UN by the Afghan government in Geneva. Historically speaking, Durand Line is a common border drawn and agreed upon by the Afghan ruler, Amir Abdul Rehman and British seasoned diplomat Sir Mortimer Durand between Afghanistan and the then British India in 1893. But the subsequent Afghan set-ups refused to accept it as a common border between the two countries and even made claim of additional territory inside Pakistan.
After Zahir Shah was deposed by Sardar Dawood in 1973, trust vacuum between the two countries deepened. Nevertheless, the then political government of Pakistan led by Z.A. Bhutto tackled the newly emerging scenario very tactfully and with great wisdom. He undertook serious efforts both politically and diplomatically to bridge the rising gulf between them and bring the two neighbouring states close to each other for bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas. His visit to Kabul and Dawood’s tour to Islamabad during the Zia’s regime helped remove misunderstanding and misperception between the two sides. However, the murder of Sardar Dawood and assassination of his successor, Noor Taraki worsened the internal situation so much that Russia had to interfere to take control of the uprising hit state. Over eighty thousand Russian forces started patrolling on the roads in Kabul and its adjacent cities to restore peace and calm. This bloody revolution on the Afghan soil directly impacted Pakistan with an unceasing influx of three million Afghan refugees in its settled and tribal areas.
The post 1979 Afghan revolution gave rise to more suspicions and mistrusts in relations between the two friendly countries. Pakistan was much flustered and affected by the regional situation in general and expansionist policy and intimidatory tactics of the communist Soviet Union in particular. To cope with the regional developments she sided with the United States and its allies that jointly prepared a Jihadi force to fight against the Soviet forces in order to compel them to leave Afghanistan before long. It was the last adventure of the cold war which ended in the defeat and demise of the Soviet Union and Pyrrhic victory of America and its allied powers including Pakistan. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan Pakistan made all out efforts to forge unity in the ranks of the warring factions in this ill-fated country in order that a broad based government was established there but all in vain. Even Rabbani, Hekmatyar and other top Afghan leaders were taken to the holy ‘Kaaba’ to make them take oath on the holy soil that they would silence their cannons and fight no more. On return from Saudi Arabia, they wasted no time in violating the oath for peace and directed guns against each other till the emergence of the young religious force or Taliban under the daring command of Mulla Burjan.
After the establishment of Taliban government and its recognition by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and UAE the United States and its world allies took strong exception to the religious set-up and started looking at Kabul with askance. The Afghan leaders except Haqqani group were quite unhappy with the supposed role played by Pakistan in bringing the young Talib to the corridors of power. The 9/11 dramatic episode and the subsequent US military action against the Taliban authority for its failure to extradite Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden changed the entire regional scenario all at once. Pakistan reviewed its policy in regard to the newly emerging developments inside Afghanistan and extended unstinted support to America and its allies in what they called ‘war on terror’. Being a real regional stake holder it (Pakistan) played a positive role for peace and stability in Afghanistan. Islamabad approved a special economic package for the reconstruction and infrastructural development of the much damaged Afghanistan. It arranged training workshops for the Afghan military as well as civil officers of the various departments in Islamabad to enable them to run the government affairs smoothly and with great confidence. Pakistan also provided security cooperation to Afghanistan on the eve of Karzai’s presidential elections to ensure smooth and unimpeded conduct of the electoral process and sealed its 2640 kms long porous border to halt any terrorist attack from across the border. But despite all these tangible steps Karzai led Afghan government levels every passing day concocted and unfounded allegations against Pakistan to malign it in the comity of nations. Sporadic shelling from across Afghan side targetting security check posts in Bajaur and other tribal regions has impaired bilateral relations badly. Even a few days ago, these relations, according to a veteran Pashtoon nationalist leader, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, have become so tense that there was fear of air strike from Afghanistan on Pakistan and he had to deescalate the situation following his recent visit to Kabul as a special emissary of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Afghanistan has also expressed reservations over the military operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ launched by Pak army in the North Waziristan Agency saying that it is not against the Haqqani network and Gul Bahadar group which, according to Karzai, are allegedly involved in attacks on Afghan and foreign forces in his country. A spokesman of Afghan Home Ministry in a statement issued a few days back said that the ongoing operation in North Waziristan by Pakistan army is unacceptable and counterproductive as it yields no practical results for the Afghan government. Likewise, an Afghanistan based US commander too, showed his dissatisfaction over the military offensive in the Pakistani tribal region of NWA and stressed upon the Pakistani government to strike Haqqani positions to attenuate their growing influence and power in the region and protect Afghan soil from their impending deadly attacks. But Pakistan has, time and again, dispelled and rejected all these apprehensions, impressions and accusations of Afghanistan regarding the current military operation adding that such malicious and false allegations would vilify its commitment to combat terrorism and undermines the prospects of cordial relationship between the brotherly people of the two countries. It has also demanded Kabul to hand over Pakistani Taliban chief Molvi Fazlullah to them to be treated under Pakistani law over his alleged involvement in terrorist acts and attacks on security forces from across the border in Afghanistan but the latter is tight lipped seeming to have no intention to take any solid action in this regard.
Now the mistrust has apparently so widened that it can hardly be bridged through mere diplomatic overtures or by a tour of any envoy to Kabul or Islamabad. It requires serious efforts on the part of political leaderships of both the countries to address each other’s grievances and consequently remove misunderstanding that has greatly plagued the bilateral relations. In case they fail to do so and the catalyst powers fish in their troubled waters, it would be quite disastrous for the internal peace and stability of both the countries.
pakistan.shafaqna.com
