RELATIONS between Pakistan and Afghanistan have nosedived but the latest clashes also offer a window of opportunity for resolution of the differences as there is a feeling on both sides of the Durand Line that the two countries cannot afford extended conflict and their well wishers in the global community are also offering to mediate.
As Saudi Arabia was quick to urge the two countries to exercise restraint and sort out problems through dialogue, President Donald Trump says he will look into the situation on his return from the Middle-East visit. Expressing concern over the escalating tensions between the two neighbours, Iran has offered to mediate to help restore peace and stability in the region.
It is a universal fact that one cannot change one’s neighbours, therefore, there is no option for neighbours except to commit themselves to peaceful co-existence. Otherwise too, proximity plays a crucial role in efforts to promote economic welfare of the people and this is also evident from the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, it is also a fact that peace and security of the region will remain an elusive dream until and unless credible measures are taken to wipe out the menace of terrorism. Pakistan’s grievances against Afghanistan are also substantiated by UN reports, which refer to Kabul’s patronage to terrorist outfits operating against Pakistan, therefore, verifiable action against such outfits is the only way to plug deterioration in relations between the two countries. As the presence of terrorist entities on Afghan soil is well in the knowledge of all countries offering mediation including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, it is hoped the Afghan side will realize the danger involved in the continuation of the existing policy. The latest clashes should serve as an eye-opener as these showed Pakistan was committed to go to any extent to address the problem of terrorism. There are reasons to believe that Kabul is using the presence and activities of terrorist entities to pressurize and blackmail Pakistan on several issues forgetting that India having a clear conventional superiority could not do so and Afghanistan with extreme resource disparity cannot dream of harming Pakistan through the use of force. This is borne out by the fact that more than two hundred Afghan Taliban and affiliated terrorists were neutralized in response to the unprovoked attacks by them in border regions of KP and Balochistan. The combined attack was aimed at destabilizing Pakistan’s border regions to facilitate terrorism under the designs of Fitna al-Khwarij (FAK) and Indian-sponsored elements but their designs were effectively foiled and the intensity of the response forced the other side to beg for a ceasefire. Pakistan has once again demonstrated its preference for peace and stability by keeping the scale of engagement limited and precisely targeting terrorists’ dens in Afghanistan. However, the Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday warned that any further acts of aggression from Afghanistan would be met with an “unwavering and befitting response”. As before, Pakistan underlined that it greatly values dialogue and diplomacy and a mutually beneficial relationship with Afghanistan but it takes two to tango. Afghanistan must not close its eyes to the presence of TTP elements on its soil as did its acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi during his visit to India where he claimed there was no terrorist organization or group left in Afghanistan and that Pakistan needed to resolve the issue of terrorism internally. There is undeniable evidence of the presence of TTP in Afghanistan’s provinces bordering Pakistan and its involvement in acts of terror in Pakistan, therefore, expulsion of the group or its elimination were the only options. In case of continued non-cooperation by Afghanistan, Pakistan will be forced to take care of the problem on its own.
