THE insecurity in Kurram has long been a significant concern for Pakistan. The region, historically fraught with ethnic, sectarian and militant tensions, continues to bear the repercussions of ongoing instability. Despite the fact that Pakistani leadership has regularly desired to constructively engage Afghanistan, the behaviour of Afghan Interim Administration (IAG) is gradually turning into exploitative of Pakistan’s security dilemmas. Security of Kurram has been at risk for several years mainly due to cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan. Even though Pakistan has tried hard to start achieving its objectives of lasting peace and stability in the region, the IAG has paid little or no respect to the security.
Pakistani authorities’ sustained endeavours to preserve law and order in Kurram are threatened by this sort of aggression from Afghanistan. The security forces of this region have been deploying themselves to curb a rising tendency of militancy-associated confrontations, frequently linked with the insurgent parties using Afghan ground. It seems that instead of being responsible neighbour, Afghanistan seems to be contributing to intensification of security threats for Pakistan.
Probably the most disappointing part of all this is that Afghanistan never acknowledges and fails to appreciate all that Pakistan has done for it. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Pakistan has given shelter to around 3-5 million Afghan refugees and offered different types of help to the Afghan nation. Pakistan gave its share and more for Afghanistan’s issue, be it, money or lives. However, Afghanistan, especially under the current Taliban regime, has been reciprocating the vices in the worst ways possible. Instead of reciprocating the support of Pakistan for them, IAG decided to use the instability of this region to their own advantage. This attitude that completely ignores all the work Pakistan has done – supplying Afghanistan with refugees for 30 years straight – can only be called treasonous.
However, the issue at hand is that Afghanistan’s interference in Kurram is not isolated. Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns about Afghanistan’s attempts to destabilize the region. The TTP, which is known to have been involved in several attacks within Pakistan, remains a darling of the Afghanistan soil. More so, contrary to the Afghan Taliban’s word that they will not allow Afghan territory to be used against Pakistan in terms of attacks, the situation is quite the opposite. Inability to contain activity of militant groups that use territory controlled by the Taliban has increased tensions along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Pakistan must now clearly re-strategize its policy towards Afghanistan and take proactive steps to safeguard its own interests. If Afghanistan persists in the pattern of destabilization now under way there, this has potential for driving Pakistan even more into the arms of Iran or further deepening the security situation in the region. Lastly, the future of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan will largely depend on the latter’s sincerity in fulfilling its promises and halting the exploitation of insecurity in Kurram Agency.
—The writer is regular contributor.
